WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Visits Abroad

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many visits were undertaken overseas by  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers in the Government Equalities Office in each year since its inception; what the cost of each such visit was; how many officials attended; which hotels were used; and which class and mode of travel was used.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) was established on 12 October 2007. The total expenditure on all travel and subsistence by officials and Ministers in each year for which figures are available is as follows.
	
		
			  Travel and subsistence 
			   Total expenditure (£) 
			 2007-08(1) 18,880 
			 2008-09 79,891 
			 2009-10 129,542 
			 2010-11(2) 43,874 
			 Total 272,187 
			 (1) From 12 October 2010 (2) As at 31 October 2010 
		
	
	The vast majority of this relates to visits in the UK. All travel is subject to approval by senior managers but the GEO's accounting systems do not record any distinction between international and domestic travel and isolating precise figures for the number of visits overseas and their cost before 2009-10, when returns to the Cabinet Office on ministerial travel overseas became necessary, could be done only at disproportionate cost. However, the GEO estimate that a quarter of the travel and subsistence expenditure incurred since GEO was established, some £68,000, was spent on visits overseas by officials and Ministers.
	Details of expenditure incurred by Ministers on visits overseas in 2009-10, totalling £7,879, are available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministers-overseas-travel
	Ministers representing GEO would have travelled in First or Business class and would normally be accompanied by a member of their Private Office staff. We do not have information relating to the accommodation used.
	Once the GEO have moved on to Home Office accounting systems, precise distinctions between the costs of international and domestic travel will be possible, along with more detail about the costs incurred by individuals.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animals: Smuggling

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many protected and endangered animals were seized at UK airports and ports in each year since 2008-09.

Damian Green: The number of protected and endangered animals seized at UK airports in each year since 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			  Period  Number of seizures  Number of items seized 
			 2008-09 37 1,212 
			 2009-10 21 563

Animals: Smuggling

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of implementation of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review on the UK Border Agency's ability to enforce anti-smuggling controls at UK ports of entry on the importation of products of animal origin.

Damian Green: The operating model at the border uses risk models and intelligence to determine how officers are deployed. Deployment decisions are based on an assessment of the risk and officers are supported in products of animal origin (POAO) activity by detector dogs.
	Following the spending review, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) along with other Government Departments, is looking critically at ways in which to modernise the workforce to deliver best value for money. This is increasingly important in the current financial climate. This programme of workforce modernisation will include the development of a smaller, more flexible core workforce. By combining this with smarter ways of working UKBA will continue to contribute to the important anti-smuggling agenda.
	We work closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) (who are responsible for developing and implementing the UK Government's animal health strategy) to ensure our POAO border targeting activities continue to be responsive to new or changing animal disease spread risks to maximise their efficiency and to ensure they focus on the most high risk routings and goods.

Asylum: Finance

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the operation of the Azure card system; what estimate she has made of the level of unspent credit on such cards; and what plans she has to review the system.

Damian Green: The Azure pre-payment card is administered for the UK Border Agency by Sodexo Ltd Sodexo provides regular updates on the card's performance to the UK Border Agency's chief executive.
	From November 2009 to December 2010 there have been over 1 million successful transactions which represents 85% of the total. Only 0.25% (3,600) of the unsuccessful transactions were due to technical faults, with 14% due to users not having sufficient funds in their account and the remaining 0.75% due to service users attempting to use their card in non-affiliated stores.
	The estimated amount of unspent credit recovered from the Azure card for the first year of its operation is £650,000. The figure is not collated monthly.
	Beyond this, the UK Border Agency has no plans to review the Section 4 payment card system.

Deportation: Human Rights

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2011,  Official Report, column 676W, on deportation: human rights 
	(1)  for what reason the UK Border Agency does not record centrally the information on removals which did not proceed as a result of the application of provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the indicative cost of collecting the information requested; what methods she used to make that estimate; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: In responding to these questions, I have assumed 'deportations' to mean 'removals'.
	Data relating to removals is recorded on the Case Information Database (CID), which is the main information technology system used by the UK Border Agency (UKBA). For the purposes of reporting, CID records removals cancellations under standardised categories such as Judicial Review, Injunction, Medical Representations, and Further Representations received. Cases considered under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) Article 3 and Article 8 would fall under the further representations category.
	The only way to identify these specific ECHR cases would be to undertake a search of the individual case notes or the electronic files for all cases with removals cancelled due to further representations, in the time period requested.
	The number of removals cancelled as a result of further representations from 1 April 2008 to 15 January 2010 was 600.
	Based on previous case by case searches we have estimated it would take it would take on average 10 minutes to review each individual case. The appropriate grade to carry out this type of work would be an executive officer, whose salary is £144.87 per day .
	Therefore to search 600 records would take 100 hours (i.e. 14 working days) and cost £2,012.00.
	This expenditure is over the disproportionate cost threshold.

Deportation: Offenders

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to increase the number of foreign prisoners deported from the UK at the end of their prison sentences.

Damian Green: This Government are committed to exploring ways of removing these individuals earlier. This will include working with the prisons, courts and the police to build on our capacity to gather intelligence information on nationality at an earlier stage.
	Foreign national prisoners are considered for deportation against the following criteria:
	A court recommendation;
	For non-EEA nationals-a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence, or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (an offence other than possession only);
	For EEA nationals-a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences.
	The UK Border Agency makes every effort to ensure that a person's removal by deportation coincides, as far as possible, with his/her release from prison on completion of sentence. Where sentence length allows, the UK Border Agency will consider deportation up to 18 months prior to the earliest point of removal. Foreign nationals who are served with a deportation notice have the right of appeal against the decision before the courts.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether international students enrolled at UK institutions will be eligible to remain in the UK under tier 1 post-study work arrangements for two years after completion of their studies.

Damian Green: On 7 December, we published a public consultation-The Student Immigration System: A Consultation'. One of the proposals on which we are inviting views is what changes we should make to the tier 1 post study work route, as well as the timing of any changes and any transitional arrangements which may be necessary. We will announce our final decisions on the future shape of tier 4 in due course, following the closure of the consultation on 31 January. Those students in tier 4 of the points based system will, as now, be able to work in the UK after graduation by switching into tier 2, provided they meet the applicable requirements.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of her policy to reduce levels of immigration on the further education sector.

Damian Green: The consultation on the student immigration system will close on 31 January. The consultation is seeking the views of all respondents on the effect of the proposals on their organisation or sector.

Human Trafficking

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to launch a successor to Operation Pentameter II for the purposes of reducing the incidence of human trafficking.

Damian Green: This is an operational matter for the police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency, and will be determined by operational priorities.

Human Trafficking

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of operations Pentameter I and II in reducing the incidence of human trafficking.

Damian Green: During the operational phase of the Pentameter 1 and 2 investigations, 638 people were arrested for human trafficking related and other offences and 257 potential victims, including five for trafficking for forced labour, were recovered.
	A key objective of these operations was to build knowledge of human trafficking amongst law enforcement agencies in order that anti-trafficking work could be continued at force level as part of core police business. Forces now have the knowledge and capability to run anti-human trafficking operations, and where necessary can be supported by the operational co-ordination and tactical advice capacity of the UK Human Trafficking Centre.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make an assessment of the extent to which the UK complies with the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention against human trafficking.

Damian Green: holding answer 25 January 2011
	 We are confident that the UK meets or exceeds the standards required by the Council of Europe Convention against human trafficking.
	The Command Paper CM 7465 laid before Parliament in September 2008 details the operational and legislative changes and impact on the UK as a result of ratifying the convention.

Immigrants: Detainees

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of persons detained under Immigration Act powers have  (a) convictions for offences in the UK,  (b) served prison sentences in the UK,  (c) convictions in other countries and  (d) served prison sentences in other countries.

Damian Green: While the UK Border Agency records information on the convictions of those who meet the criteria for deportation, we do not record information electronically on the convictions of those who do not meet the criteria nor do we record information on convictions in other countries. To obtain this information would exceed the cost threshold.
	However we can advise that in 2010, for an average month, approximately 635 foreign national prisoners were detained in prison and 1,135 in immigration removal centres, beyond the end of their custodial sentence while deportation was considered. These average figures are based on internal management information and are subject to change.
	We recognise the risk posed when foreign nationals with a history of offending overseas enter the UK. The proactive transfer of information across borders that would alert border or law enforcement agencies when such individuals travel is a complex and challenging area, particularly within the EU where freedom of movement is an established right for all citizens.
	However, we are currently seeking to reduce this risk by working with our European partners and law enforcement organisations such as Europol and Interpol to encourage improved police co-operation. We are also investigating how member states within Europe approach offender management and particularly whether comparable systems to our Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) exist. Through this work we will assess whether we can seek to extend these MAPPA principles across borders to reduce the risk posed by travelling offenders.

Immigrants: Detainees

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the 20 longest recorded lengths of time are of a person who is currently in detention under Immigration Act powers.

Damian Green: As at 30 September 2010, management information shows that of the 2,890 people detained solely under Immigration Act powers, the 20 longest recorded lengths of detention are:
	
		
			  Length of detention in days  Number of detainees 
			 1,793 1 
			 1,507 1 
			 1,395 1 
			 1,345 1 
			 1,311 1 
			 1,238 1 
			 1,214 1 
			 1,175 1 
			 1,140 1 
			 1,125 1 
			 1,115 1 
			 1,109 1 
			 1,049 1 
			 1,034 1 
			 1,031 1 
			 1,023 2 
			 1,011 1 
			 1,001 1 
			 988 1 
			  Note: Figures exclude persons detained in police cells, Prison Service establishments and those detained under both criminal and immigration powers. They relate to most recent period of sole detention. The period of detention starts when a person first enters the UK Border Agency estate. If the person is then moved from a removal centre to a police cell or Prison Service establishment, this period of stay will be included if the detention is solely under Immigration Act powers. These figures are based on management information and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics. They are provisional and may be subject to change. 
		
	
	The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Immigration

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to end the link between  (a) temporary routes and  (b) permanent settlement.

Damian Green: The Government will introduce an interim package of changes, in April 2011, which will tighten the current settlement criteria.
	There will be a new criminality threshold, requiring all applicants to be clear of unspent convictions when they apply for settlement.
	Skilled and highly skilled migrants applying for settlement will need to meet the income criteria that applied when they last extended their permission to stay.
	If an economic migrant fails to pass the Life in the UK test, their application for settlement will be refused.
	We will remove the ability for new entrants into the Intra Company Transfer route to extend their leave beyond five years.
	These measures are a first step in ensuring that we break the automatic link between temporary and permanent migration. We will bring forward further proposals later this year.

Immigration: Aso Mohammed Ibrahim

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further legal steps she plans to consider in respect of the immigration status of Aso Mohammed Ibrahim.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency was notified on 17 January 2011 that the application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal has been refused by the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the Upper Tribunal. The UK Border Agency will now exercise its right to make an application for permission to appeal direct to the Court of Appeal.

Migration

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress she has made on the reduction of net migration.

Damian Green: We have already announced that we will be introducing a new permanent limit on non-EU economic migrants, with a reduction in visas in the next financial year from 28,000 to 21,700. These changes to the economic routes will be introduced in April. We are currently consulting on changes to tighten the student route and will consult on family and settlement later this year.

Personation

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has commissioned any research on a potential link between closing passport offices and the incidence of identity theft.

Damian Green: Passport security is of extreme importance. The UK passport is a secure and highly respected document both nationally and internationally because of the integrity derived from the processes of dealing with applications and issuing passports. The proposed closure of a passport application processing centre and local interview offices are in response to excess capacity within the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). The closure programme will not impact on the operational practices within IPS to ensure that the passport remains secure. Research is not planned in this area. Instead, IPS will continue to look at ways in which to improve and enhance the security of the passport and minimise the potential for fraudulent use of identity.

Police: Finance

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the average percentage real terms change in funding allocated to police forces between 2010-11 and 2012-13 using the gross domestic product deflator set out in the forecasts made by the Office of Budget Responsibility in November 2010, and excluding funding allocated  (a) under the counter-terrorism grant and  (b) to fund a freeze in the level of council tax.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 20 December 2010
	Total Government funding to the police will reduce by 13% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2012-13, using the GDP deflators produced by the Office of Budget Responsibility in November 2010.
	Counter-terrorism grants and the council tax grant are key elements of total police funding and therefore should not be excluded from calculations of changes to police funding.

Police Recruitment Freeze

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of police forces which have frozen their recruitment.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 24 January 2011
	This is a matter for individual chief constables and their police authorities. It is a priority of this Government to ensure that the police retains and enhances its ability to protect and serve the public.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many times each  (a) VC10,  (b) C-17 and  (c) TriStar that has operated in the Afghan theatre landed at the Camp Bastion Aerial Port of Debarkation in each month since January 2010;
	(2)  how many flights each  (a) VC10,  (b) C-17 and  (c) TriStar that has operated in the Afghan theatre made in each month since January 2010.

Nick Harvey: No VC10, C-17 and TriStar aircraft are based in Afghanistan. The number of flights in support of Operation Herrick could only be broken down to individual airframe level at disproportionate cost, but is recorded centrally for each fleet.
	A small detachment of VC10 and occasionally TriStar aircraft are based in the wider Op Herrick area on a rotational basis to support Air-to-Air refuelling operations over Afghanistan. They do not land in Afghanistan during these missions. The number of Op Herrick Air-to-Air Refuelling sorties undertaken by VC10 or TriStar aircraft for each month since January 2010 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of VC10 Herrick AAR sorties  Number of TriStar Herrick AAR sorties 
			 January 2010 18 2 
			 February 2010 35 0 
			 March 2010 25 0 
			 April 2010 14 0 
			 May 2010 23 0 
			 June 2010 27 0 
			 July 2010 29 0 
			 August 2010 29 0 
			 September 2010 32 0 
			 October 2010 32 0 
			 November 2010 30 0 
			 December 2010 29 0 
		
	
	TriStar and C-17 aircraft operate into airfields in Afghanistan as part of the Op Herrick passenger and freight Airbridge. TriStar aircraft land at Kandahar, C-17 aircraft land at both Kandahar and Camp Bastion. The number of TriStar and C-17 flights arriving at Camp Bastion and Kandahar in each month is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of C-17 arriving Camp Bastion  Number of TriStar arriving Kandahar  Number of C-17 arriving Kandahar 
			 January 2010 33 25 5 
			 February 2010 40 21 4 
			 March 2010 40 23 4 
			 April 2010 39 20 5 
			 May 2010 29 18 4 
			 June 2010 42 20 4 
			 July 2010 36 24 5 
			 August 2010 40 24 4 
			 September 2010 48 24 4 
			 October 2010 48 25 5 
			 November 2010 36 23 4 
			 December 2010 38 13 4

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what repair or reconstruction work has taken place on the Camp Bastion Aerial Port of Debarkation runway since January 2010; and what the cost to his Department of such work has been.

Nick Harvey: Maintenance costs for the runway at Camp Bastion since January 2010 have been approximately £700,000. This covers a variety of tasks such as runway repair, airfield ground lighting repair, drainage maintenance and dust suppression maintenance.

Air Force: Military Bases

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2010,  Official Report, column 221W on Air Force: military bases, when he expects the data for RAF stations in Scotland to be available.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the letter I wrote to him on 19 January, which was published on 20 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 903-4W.

Aircraft Carriers: Crew

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the anticipated normal ship's company will be for the Queen Elizabeth class carriers whilst on operational duty.

Nick Harvey: On operational duty, a Carrier Variant-configured Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier is currently planned to be manned by a crew of around 760, who would be responsible for the running of the ship and its systems. The number of additional air wing personnel would vary according to the nature of the operational deployment and the aircraft on board at the time.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual compensation payment made to service personnel who served in world war two was in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual compensation payment was to service personnel who served in world war two in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 21 January 2011
	Annual compensation payments to world war two veterans are made under the War Pension Scheme. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 19 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 823-24W.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel who served in world war two were in receipt of both an armed forces pension and a compensation scheme payment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel who served in world war two are in receipt of the armed forces pension.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 January 2011
	Details of the number of service personnel who served during world war two in receipt of a pension under the Armed Forces Pension scheme are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Service personnel who have an injury or illness attributable to, or aggravated by, their service can receive compensation by way of a war disablement pension under the War Pension scheme. Although data is not held specifically for world war two veterans, as at 30 September 2010, 33,630 war disablement pensions were in payment to veterans aged 85 or over.

Defence Vetting Agency: Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff were employed by the Defence Vetting Agency  (a) in York and  (b) elsewhere in (i) May 2010 and (ii) December 2010.

Andrew Robathan: Staff numbers are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Location  31 May 2010  31 December 2010 
			 York 301 261 
			 Elsewhere 158 151 
			 Total 459 412

Defence: Sales

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to offer armoured fighting vehicles deemed surplus to the requirements of the army for sale to foreign governments.

Peter Luff: Any decisions on the disposal of armoured vehicles will be in line with the Ministry of Defence's policy for handling surplus equipment. A government to government sale is usually the first option that is explored. This has the benefit of strengthening international relationships and generating income that can be re-invested in defence. It also allows other governments to contribute to international security and can also provide UK industry with opportunities to undertake some of the regeneration work.

Departmental NDPBs

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many fixed-term appointments each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies has made since May 2010;
	(2)  what the average salary was of staff of each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies on fixed-term contracts in  (a) April 2010 and  (b) each subsequent month;
	(3)  what the total cost to his Department was of staff on fixed-term appointments in each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies in  (a) April 2010 and  (b) each subsequent month;
	(4)  what the total cost to his Department was for staff of each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies on fixed-term contracts in  (a) April 2010 and  (b) each subsequent month;
	(5)  how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies in  (a) April 2010 and  (b) each subsequent month.

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies in  (a) April 2010 and  (b) each subsequent month;
	(2)  what the staff cost was of each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies in May 2010; and what estimate he has made of the likely cost in  (a) financial years (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and, (iii) 2013-14 and  (b) each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Peter Luff: The Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), will write to the hon. Members soon after the Christmas recess, to enable officials to collect the required data.
	 Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to Michael Dugher and Gemma Doyle:
	My hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Questions on 20 December 2010 (Official Report, column 987W) about fixed-term appointments in the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) non-departmental public bodies. I am now replying.
	The following table shows the number of fixed-term appointments that have been made in each of the MOD non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) since May 2010:
	
		
			  Number of fixed-term appointments made since May 2010 
			   Number 
			 National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) 4 
			 National Army Museum (NAM) 4 
			 Royal Air Force Museum 4 
		
	
	The museums have their own legal identity and employ their own staff. They are supported by the MOD by grant-in-aid which includes a provision for salaries.
	The total cost to the NDPBs and the average salary of staff on fixed-term contracts in each of the MOD non-departmental public bodies in (a) April 2010 and (b) each subsequent month is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   NMRN  NAM  RAF Museum 
			 Total cost of staff on fixed term appointments in:
			 April 8,670 30,770 10,260 
			 May 13,360 28,650 10,260 
			 June 13,360 31,920 10,260 
			 July 13,360 28,650 10,260 
			 August 13,360 32,610 11,390 
			 September 13,360 34,870 13,310 
			 October 12,070 38,320 13,310 
			 November 9,820 36,050 13,990 
			 December 9,820 36,050 15,340 
			 
			 Average annual salary of staff on fixed term contracts:
			 April 18,410 28,000 15,000 
			 May 18,410 27,660 15,000 
			 June 18,410 28,000 15,000 
			 July 18,410 27,660 15,000 
			 August 18,410 28,500 15,000 
			 September 18,410 27,940 15,000 
			 October 18,990 28,890 15,000 
			 November 21,540 29,540 15,000 
			 December 21,540 29,540 15,000 
		
	
	The fixed term contracts are for a range of staff which includes seasonal guides for HMS Victory at the NMRN, Senior Executive Officer (Civil Service equivalent grades) and below at the NAM, and apprentices at the RAF Museum.
	The number of full-time equivalent staff employed in each of the MOD non-departmental public bodies in (a) April 2010 and (b) each subsequent month is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of full time equivalent staff 
			   NMRN  NAM  RAF Museum 
			 April 9 73 177 
			 May 10 72 175 
			 June 10 73 173 
			 July 10 70 172 
			 August 10 71 173 
			 September 10 72 171 
			 October 9 72 172 
			 November 8 68 173 
			 December 8 68 n/a 
		
	
	The figures for full time equivalent staff cover staff employed at the National Museum of the Royal Navy Central, the main NAM site at Chelsea and a small number of staff at Sandhurst and 2 RAF museums at Hendon and Cosford and a small number or curatorial staff at RAF Stafford where items not on display are lodged.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many planned flying training missions have been cancelled as a result of the recent grounding of the TriStar fleet in its role as an air-to-air refueller.

Nick Harvey: No training sorties were cancelled while Tristar flying was temporarily suspended. However, the duration of some fast jet training flights undertaken between 17 and 31 December 2010 were curtailed. This had only minimal impact on the quality of the training provided.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of flights of  (a) military aircraft and  (b) aircraft chartered by his Department to and from Afghanistan have been delayed by more than six hours in each month since December 2009.

Nick Harvey: Officials are collating the information requested. Once this work is complete I will write to the hon. Member.

Ministry of Defence Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has he made of the  (a) effectiveness and  (b) efficiency of the Ministry of Defence Police against the key outputs identified by its Statement of Requirement; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence Police Committee's Annual Report for 2009-10 dated 21 July 2010 provided me and my ministerial colleagues with an assurance that the MOD Police (MDP) was pursuing the strategic direction as intended in the Statement of Requirement. This is achieved through the MDP's provision of high value and high calibre capabilities which continue to reflect defence interests and are not available from other forces. I met personally with the independent chair of the Committee to discuss this report on 21 October 2010.
	The Committee also provides an independent scrutiny and assurance to Ministers that the MDP is exercising its powers and authority lawfully, impartially and meeting the standards required of a police force. The MOD Police and Guarding Agency Owner's Advisory Board has regular oversight of the MDP's performance.

Ministry of Defence Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to which countries Ministry of Defence police officers are currently deployed; what the role of the personnel deployed to each country is; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) deploy a relatively small number of experienced officers overseas in support of HM Government objectives, and have done so for 10 years. They are currently deployed in Afghanistan, acting as mentors and trainers; Kosovo, acting as mentors and advisors; Georgia, in a monitoring capacity and Occupied Palestinian Territories in an advisory role.

Ministry of Defence Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the international policing activities of the Ministry of Defence Police; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) are an important part of the UK police response overseas on behalf of HM Government (supporting the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, and other Whitehall Departments). This reflects their considerable experience and expertise in international policing over the last 10 years. They also train and equip UK police officers deploying overseas. They have made valued contributions to the creation of a police force in Kosovo, free and fair elections in Sierra Leone, and training programmes in Afghanistan, including community policing.

Ministry of Defence Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of  (a) the criminal investigation capability of the Ministry of Defence Police and  (b) the Ministry of Defence Police fraud squad; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The independently chaired Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police Committee, which reports to MOD Ministers, routinely receives a summary of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and fraud cases investigated by the Ministry of Defence Police at its quarterly meetings and has given advice to MDP and MOD about performance targets for CID. The Committee will continue to keep under review the capability and performance of MDP CID having regard to the MOD's defined requirements.
	The MOD has established a Defence Crime Board, chaired by the Director General Finance, to provide strategic direction to the defence-wide effort to reduce the harm done to the defence budget, safety, security and military operational capability by crime and fraud.

National Defence Medal

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the terms of reference of his review of the creation of a National Defence Medal.

Andrew Robathan: There is no specific review regarding a national defence medal.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department plans to provide to the Hebrides Range Task Force diversification programme for civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) future co-utilisation of range assets and capabilities; and what plans he has to co-ordinate that support with the UAS civil and military market development initiatives under consideration by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no objection to civil diversification plans or the Hebrides range including commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as long as this does not interfere with MOD operations at the range. Officials are involved in the work of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with industry to develop and maintain capability in the future UAS market and the potential ways to improve business awareness of the civil market opportunities that exist at ranges such as the Hebrides. However, it would not be appropriate for the MOD to provide direct support to a commercial activity.

War Widows: Pensions

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual pension payment to (i) widows and (ii) widowers in receipt of a war widows pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 17 January 2011
	As at 5 April 2010, the highest, average and lowest annual pensions in payment to widows and widowers under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme were as set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Highest  Average  Lowest 
			 Widows 80,313.02 4,367.04 13.03 
			 Widowers 20,118.66 4,134.88 316.34 
		
	
	War widow(ers) pensions are paid under the War Pension Scheme (WPS). This scheme provides no fault compensation to former service personnel and their dependants for injuries and death as a result of service before 6 April 2005. As at 30 September 2010, the average weekly WPS dependants' pension (of which widow(er) pensions are the majority), including allowances, was £218.31. Separate figures for widows and widowers and average, highest and lowest pension could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Annual compensation to widows and widowers from 6 April 2005 is payable under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), and payments are known as Survivors' Guaranteed Income Payments (SGIPs). As at 20 January 2011, the highest, average and lowest SGIPs in payment were as set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Highest  Average  Lowest 
			 Widows 49,581.57 13,807.58 1,444.15 
			 Widowers 15,419.30 13,697.33 10,731.00 
			  Note: Data for widows and widowers under the AFPS and the AFCS also include benefits in payment to eligible partners.

War Widows: Pensions

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pension arrangements are in place for the widow of the late Sergeant Matthew Telford of the Grenadier Guards.

Andrew Robathan: Sergeant Telford died tragically in Afghanistan in 2009, whilst holding acting rank. His widow is in receipt of a pension that reflects his substantive rank.
	I announced on 16 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 116-17WS, that I would amend future pensions payments to recognise acting rank. This change came into effect on 3 January 2011. For those who died prior to this date (but after 6 April 2005) a lump sum payment will be made to dependants through the Armed Forces Compensation scheme, which will bring their total settlement into line with the changes to the pension scheme.
	The amounts awarded are considered personal data and are therefore protected from disclosure under the Data Protection Act 1998.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: East Midlands

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the arts sector in each local authority area in the east midlands; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the arts sector in each local authority area in the east midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Department does not hold this information. However, Arts Council England has provided figures relating to the number of arts sector staff, in each employment category, in their regularly funded organisations (RFOs). The 2009-10 figures for the east midlands are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			  Local authority  Permanent full-time  Permanent part-time  Contractual 
			 Amber Valley 0 0 6 
			 Blaby 0 2 4 
			 Bolsover 4 1 49 
			 Charnwood 8 6 276 
			 Chesterfield 0 1 6 
			 Derby 85 93 1,046 
			 Derbyshire Dales 3 3 8 
			 East Lindsey 0 6 22 
			 High Peak 25 21 194 
			 Leicester 111 83 323 
			 Lincoln 14 12 90 
			 North Kesteven 13 30 110 
			 North West Leicestershire 2 1 68 
			 Northampton 68 79 251 
			 Nottingham 114 135 442 
			 Rushcliffe 5 0 3 
			 South Derbyshire 1 3 20 
			 South Holland 6 18 58 
			 South Kesteven 13 44 43 
			 Wellingborough 15 32 60 
			 Total 487 570 3,079

Arts: East of England

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the arts sector in each local authority area in the east of England; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Department does not hold this information. However, Arts Council England has provided figures relating to the number of arts sector staff, in each employment category, in their regularly funded organisations (RFOs). The 2009-10 figures for the East of England are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			  Local authority  Permanent full-time  Permanent part-time  Contractual 
			 Bedford 4 8 1 
			 Cambridge 48 96 67 
			 Chelmsford 3 2 54 
			 Colchester 51 66 296 
			 East Cambridgeshire 6 2 4 
			 Epping Forest 15 8 38 
			 Ipswich 47 24 497 
			 Luton 14 15 132 
			 Norwich 22 24 344 
			 South Cambridgeshire 3 3 3 
			 Southend-on-Sea 8 5 6 
			 St Albans 21 22 93 
			 St Edmundsbury 22 45 72 
			 Suffolk Coastal 34 14 91 
			 Watford 21 6 124 
			 Waveney 1 5 5 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 3 2 29 
			 Total 323 347 1,856

Departmental Communications

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he has taken to reduce jargon and promote plain English in departmental communications.

John Penrose: The Department has undertaken a number of measures to reduce jargon and promote plain English in departmental communications. These include:
	guides to using plain English on the departmental intranet;
	instructions on the use of plain English when drafting ministerial correspondence and submissions; and
	training for staff on creating briefings and submissions.

Departmental Pay

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on the number of sub-contracted staff servicing his Department who were not paid at a rate equivalent to or above the London living wage in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Penrose: The following table shows the number of sub-contracted staff servicing the Department who are paid less than the London living wage:
	
		
			  Name of subcontractor  Number of staff who are paid less than the London living wage 
			 Ecovert FM 4 
			 Baxter Storey 1 
			 Atos (1)- 
			 (1) This information is not held for staff employed under the Atos contract.

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

John Penrose: There have been 43 single tenders conducted since May when the Secretary of State was appointed. Out of those, none have been above the EU public procurement threshold.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010.

John Penrose: Since May 2010, the Department has appointed three female officials and 0 male officials.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

John Penrose: All public appointments made by the Department are published on the departmental website at the following link:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/7692.aspx
	If an appointment is remunerated this will be indicated within the announcement details.

Digital Broadcasting

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to alleviate the difficulties of households in certain areas of Rochester and Strood constituency with digital television signal reception following analogue switch off in 2012.

Edward Vaizey: In common with other areas of the UK yet to undergo digital switchover, it is the case that reliable coverage of digital terrestrial television (Freeview) signals is currently unlikely to be available in some parts of Rochester and Strood. The primary reason for this is that until digital switchover takes place, the power of the digital transmitters is necessarily restricted to relatively low levels in order to prevent interference being caused to the existing analogue signals. However, when switchover takes place, the power of the digital transmitters will be raised to, on average, 10 times their current levels which will significantly extend their coverage. By the time that the nationwide switchover process is complete, digital TV signals will reach the same number of households as the analogue signals they replace (approximately 98.5% of the UK population).
	Viewers in Rochester and Strood can potentially receive signals from a number of TV regions. Viewers that receive Meridian and London ITV services will switch fully to digital in 2012; while any that receive Anglia ITV services will switch later this year.

Digital Broadcasting

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to assist  (a) the elderly and  (b) people on lower incomes in Rochester and Strood constituency with the transition to digital television in 2012.

Edward Vaizey: The Government and the BBC have set up the Digital Switchover Help scheme (DSHS) to offer those 75 or over, disabled and visually impaired people and care home residents practical help to make the switch to digital television on one of their sets.
	The Help scheme is rolled out in each TV region in the run up to switchover. Therefore, the DSHS will contact all eligible people in Rochester and Strood constituency directly by post to ask if they want help, in plenty of time before the Bluebell Hill transmitter group area switches to digital in 2012.

Football

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will undertake an assessment of the safety benefits of the Kombi seating system for football stadia.

Hugh Robertson: The Football Licensing Authority (FLA) assessed the 'Kombi' seat system in 2001 and concluded that, while it had many advantages, technical and cost issues would make it difficult to install in existing grounds in England and Wales. This assessment can be found on their website at:
	http://www.flaweb.org.uk/docs/kombist.php
	The FLA also concluded that the development of the 'Kombi' seat system does not affect the key arguments for or against the retention of the policy on all-seated grounds.

Football: Police

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on arrangements for policing the European Football Championship in 2012.

Hugh Robertson: I have had no direct discussion on this issue.
	Since Euro 2000, the Home Office has led a comprehensive multi-agency football safety and security strategy for policing major football tournaments involving UK teams. The measures implemented worked well in Portugal in Euro 2004 and at previous World Cups in Germany 2006 and South Africa last year.

Gambling

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will request that the Gambling Commission publish in its British Gambling Prevalence Survey of February 2011 its assessment of  (a) the incidence of problem gambling relating to each of the eight types of gaming machine and  (b) the premises in which the type of gaming machine is located;
	(2)  if he will request that the Gambling Commission publish in its British Gambling Prevalence Survey of February 2011 the incidence of problem gambling relating to poker games in  (a) casinos and  (b) online.

John Penrose: The content and publication of the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010 is a matter for the independent gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission. It is also an 'official statistic' which, therefore, rightly frees it from political influence.
	The analysis of the prevalence of problem gambling between different gambling types will be included because of its importance to the users of the survey and to provide comparability with the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007. For statistical and cost benefit reasons the report will not include a breakdown for poker games in casinos and online poker.
	This approach was widely discussed with stakeholders when the questionnaire was originally being developed.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 9 December 2010 in regard to Ms J Vickers.

John Penrose: The Secretary of State responded to the letter of 9 December from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 23 December 2010.
	I will ensure another copy of the Secretary of State's response is sent to the right hon. Member.

Olympic Games 2012

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the likely economic benefits to  (a) Staffordshire and  (b) Tamworth of (i) events at and (ii) training facilities for the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: Although Staffordshire and Tamworth are not hosts to a London 2012 venue they stand to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the 2012 games, through businesses winning games-related work, increased tourism and cultural celebrations.
	Across the UK 988 cultural and sporting programmes have now been awarded inspire marks, including 79 in the West Midlands. Over 16,000 schools/colleges across the UK have registered for LOCOG's education programme Get Set, including 1,429 schools/colleges in the West Midlands-52.9% of the total number in the region.
	Across the UK over 127,000 Companies have registered on Competefor (the website where London 2012 contract opportunities are advertised) and over 1,600 contracts have been directly awarded to Competefor suppliers, with many more winning contracts through the supply chain. Information on businesses in Staffordshire and Tamworth that have directly supplied the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is available in the business section of the London 2012 website under the heading ODA Suppliers, where you will be able to find suppliers listed by venue and sector:
	www.london2012.com/business
	These include Bakers Coaches from Staffordshire who provided the transport for the 'Open Weekend' public tours of the Olympic park and GTech Surveys from Kenilworth who carried out site surveys and investigations in and around the Olympic park.
	Pre-games training camps will provide an opportunity to create further economic benefits, including inward investment, through the international attention that will follow. In the West Midlands 32 facilities, that met the criteria to be world-class training venues for Olympic and Paralympic sport, are included in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide. The guide has been produced in an online form and is accessible at:
	http://trainingcamps.london2012.com
	Agreements have been signed with the Jamaican and American track and field teams to hold training camps in the West Midlands before the start of the games.
	The West Midlands has secured £2.2 million from the Legacy Trust towards a programme that will bring people together for community activities of all kinds from across generations, cultures, religious backgrounds, races, social groups and geographical locations with the aim of creating exchange between people.
	One of the Inspire marked projects in the West Midlands is 'Away Pitch', which explores the connections and contrasts between the worlds of sport and art through photography and poetry. The project, an exhibition of artwork, poems and photographs has toured across Staffordshire.

Tourism: Marketing

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his most recent assessment is of the progress of the £100 million tourism-marketing fund launched in August 2010 in reaching its financial target.

John Penrose: Last summer, we challenged British businesses to come together with the Government to create the best ever overseas tourism marketing campaign for Britain, and take advantage of the unique opportunities afforded by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games and other major events such as the royal wedding and Her Majesty's diamond jubilee.
	Subsequently, on 5 January the Prime Minister held a reception for tourism industry leaders at Downing street to thank some of those already involved. Companies including British Airways, DFDS, lastminute.com, P&O and Radisson Edwardian have already pledged their support to help match the £50 million of public money we have committed through VisitBritain and we are well advanced towards meeting the £100 million target.

TRANSPORT

A2: Dover

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the dualling of the A2 in Dover constituency.

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 177-79, the Department for Transport plans for funding road improvement schemes for the spending review period, to the end of 2014-15.
	The Department for Transport will also take forward work on a number of schemes already under consideration for the next spending review period. At present, the Department is not developing proposals for future schemes on the A2.
	The A2 at Dover was not prioritised by regional authorities in the last regional funding allocation-Kent CC's focus generally being on development in the Thames Gateway region.

Aviation: Snow and Ice

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of compliance during the adverse weather conditions experienced in November and December 2010 by  (a) airlines and  (b) tour operators with their obligations under the Air Passengers Rights Directive (261/2004) and the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Directive (90/314); and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Air Transport Users Council regarding the level of compliance by airlines and tour operators during the adverse weather conditions experience in November and December 2010 with obligations under the Air Passengers Rights Directive (261/2004) and the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Directive (90/314) and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Government expect air carriers and tour operators to honour their obligations to passengers under EU Regulation 261/2004 on denied boarding, cancellation and delay, and under the package travel directive 90/314, and to look after their passengers during times of adverse weather conditions.
	The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has responsibility for enforcing regulation 261 in the UK. It reminded major airlines and airport operators of their responsibilities to their passengers during this period.
	The CAA closely monitored the activities of airlines in this period and undertook remedial action where deficiencies were identified. The Air Transport Users Council (AUC) advises passengers on their entitlements under the regulation and is the UK's complaints handler.
	While the obligations of EC Regulation 261/2004 and of the package travel directive do not apply to airports, the Secretary of State has made clear that the Government and the regulator will be working with airlines and airport operators to see what might be done to address issues identified by the recent adverse weather conditions.

Coastguard Stations: Stornoway and Shetland

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at what stage of the consultation period  (a) Stornoway and  (b) Shetland coastguard stations were included in his Department's coastguard modernisation consultation.

Michael Penning: The consultation on proposals to modernise the coastguard service was launched on 16 December 2010 and will run until 24 March 2011. Both the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres at Shetland and Stornoway were included within the proposals from the outset.
	Copies of the consultation document outlining these proposals, "Protecting our Seas and Shores in the 21st Century", have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are available on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website:
	www.mcga.gov.uk

Dover Harbour Board

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives of (i) the Dover Harbour Board and (ii) stakeholders of the Dover Harbour Board since May 2010.

Michael Penning: I held a meeting with Roger Mountford, the Chair of Dover Harbour Board, on 21 June 2010. On 8 December 2010, I visited the port of Dover and met members of the Harbour Board, as well as key stakeholders.
	No other Ministers at the Department for Transport have held any meetings with Dover Harbour Board, or with its stakeholders on matters relating to the port of Dover, since May 2010.
	During this period officials in the Department have held occasional meetings with Dover Harbour Board and the port's stakeholders in the course of normal business.

Dover Harbour Board

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of each communication on the Dover Harbour Board received from stakeholders, as defined in his Department's document on Modernising Trust Ports in the last 12 months.

Michael Penning: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost given the number of communications received and the time required to redact personal details. The people who made representations had no expectation their details would be made public.
	In November 2010 the Department published two online summaries of the representations received on the application from Dover Harbour Board to allow it to sell the port of Dover, one covering the responses received until 22 July and the other those representations received by 8 October. I have placed a copy of both summaries in the Library of the House.

Heathrow Airport

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects of the Government's aviation policy on the competitiveness of Heathrow airport as a hub for international air travel over the next decade.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport plans to issue a scoping document in the spring to take forward the Government's review of strategy for aviation. The key goals of that strategy include supporting economic growth and protecting Heathrow's status as a global hub airport, while at the same time addressing the environmental impacts of aviation. The impact of different policy choices on Heathrow will be taken into account as part of our work in further developing our policy on aviation via the process initiated with the scoping document.

National Air Traffic Services: Privatisation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which ownership models his Department is considering for the sale of the remaining state-owned shares in National Air Traffic Services.

Theresa Villiers: In line with the announcements made in the June 2011 Budget and the spending review, the Government are considering whether to sell shares in NATS and, if so, what proportion of their holding they should dispose of and by what sale method. They have had various discussions with other shareholders on this issue. We expect to have taken a decision on whether and how to proceed by the time of Budget 2011.

National Air Traffic Services: Privatisation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what response he made to the representations by the Airline Group on proposals for the sale of the remaining state-owned shares in National Air Traffic Services.

Theresa Villiers: Following the Budget announcement (June 2010) the Government are continuing to work with other shareholders, including the Airline Group, to explore the options for a potential sale of shares in NATS. As laid out in the spending review document (October 2010), we expect to take decisions on whether and how to proceed by Budget 2011. No decisions have yet been taken as to whether the Government will sell any part of their shareholding.

Ports: Dover

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from stakeholders of the Dover Harbour Board on the Board's management of the Port of Dover; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: We have received representations from key stakeholders expressing different points of view on the proposed sale of the port by Dover Harbour Board as well as other port business.
	In November 2010 the Department for Transport published two online summaries of the representations received on the application from Dover Harbour Board to allow it to sell the port of Dover, one covering the responses received until 22 July and the other those representations received by 8 October. A copy of both summaries is available in the Libraries of the House.

Rescue Services

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to undertake a consultation on the proposal to end the provision of emergency towing vessels by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Michael Penning: We have no plans for a formal consultation exercise. However, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will be inviting all interested parties to discuss how incident management will be undertaken after the current contract for emergency towing vessels expires in September 2011. The first meeting has been arranged for Edinburgh on 4 March.

Sea Rescue: Expenditure

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the operating cost of each coastguard station operated by the Marine and Coastguard Agency  (a) was for (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10 and  (b) is for 2010-11.

Michael Penning: holding answer 24 January 2011
	The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2008-09 costs  2009-10 costs  2010-11 forecast 
			 Aberdeen MRCC 1.1 1.2 1.3 
			 Belfast MRCC 0.7 0.7 0.7 
			 Brixham MRCC 0.8 0.8 0.8 
			 Clyde MRCC 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 Dover MRCC 1.0 1.2 1.3 
			 Falmouth MRCC 0.9 0.9 0.9 
			 Forth MRCC 0.7 0.7 0.7 
			 Holyhead MRCC 0.7 0.8 0.7 
			 Humber MRCC 0.9 0.8 0.9 
			 Liverpool MRCC 0.8 0.7 0.7 
			 London MRCC 0.3 0.3 0.4 
			 Milford Haven MRCC 0.7 0.8 0.8 
			 Portland MRCC 1.0 0.9 0.9 
			 Shetland MRCC 0.8 0.8 0.8 
			 Solent MRCC 0.9 1.0 1.0 
			 Stornoway MRCC 0.9 0.8 0.9 
			 Swansea MRCC 0.9 1.0 0.8 
			 Thames MRCC 0.8 0.8 0.8 
			 Yarmouth MRCC 0.7 0.8 0.7 
			 Total 15.6 16.0 16.1 
		
	
	 Costs i nclude:
	Direct costs of Coastguard Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs), including operating costs comprising: payroll, running costs and accommodation charges;
	Some running and accommodation costs include those relating to other Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) co-located offices and non separable district office costs.
	 Costs exclude:
	Running and maintenance of National Information Communication Technology infrastructure, such as radio communications networks, mast and towers, as costs are not held on a site by site basis;
	Capital project costs such as IT and equipment refresh are not held on a site by site basis; and
	Sector Managers' (those responsible for managing the volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers) pay and the cost of Coastguard Rescue Officers.

Shipping: Accidents

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of coastguard tugs on the effectiveness of responses to oil tanker accidents.

Michael Penning: Prior to taking the decision to discontinue the provision of publicly funded emergency towing vessels (ETV), the Department for Transport undertook an assessment of the changes that have taken place in the maritime environment, together with a consideration of the frequency with which ETVs have been tasked to assist vessels, including oil tankers, that have got into difficulty.
	The Government believe this is properly a matter for commercial operators. Accordingly the Government have judged that the risk in not renewing the ETV contract from September 2011 is acceptable in the light of the need to reduce the fiscal deficit.

Taxis: Working Hours

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the introduction of regulations limiting the number of hours taxi drivers are able to work  (a) in a single shift and  (b) in a week.

Norman Baker: Where taxi drivers are employed, they are subject to certain provisions of the main European Working Time Directive which applies generally across the economy to those in employment; this includes a requirement to take "adequate rest", and regular health checks for night workers.
	There are no restrictions on the amount of time a self-employed taxi driver is allowed to drive.
	We have no plans to change this position.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Australia: Floods

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government has  (a) offered and  (b) provided to the Australian Government to help with the flooding in that country.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 12 January 2011 and offered UK assistance should it be required. My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary met their Australian counterparts in Sydney on 18 January 2011, and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited one site of the flooding in Brisbane with his Australian counterpart on 19 January 2011. It was agreed that the Government will provide experts in flood recovery management and in advanced flood forecasting methods.

Bangladesh: Foreign Relations

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on strengthening the UK's relations with Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Relations between the UK and Bangladesh are strong, and we co-operate closely in a number of key areas, including climate change, poverty reduction, human rights and counter-terrorism. We engage regularly with the Bangladesh Government on these core areas, including through our substantial development programme. The forthcoming visit to UK of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, will provide an opportunity to further strengthen relations.

Burma: Politics and Government

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of efforts made by the UN to secure negotiations between the Government of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of her party and representatives of ethnic groups in Burma.

Jeremy Browne: The efforts of the UN Secretary General and his Good Offices Mission to facilitate national reconciliation and dialogue in Burma have been consistently hampered by the unwillingness of the Burmese regime to co-operate with him, and engage seriously on issues of international concern. This lack of co-operation has included a reluctance to grant visas for visits by the UN Secretary General's special adviser on Burma, and rigid control of the special adviser's programme, restricting his ability to meet key political actors in Burma, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. We nonetheless applaud and strongly support the leadership shown by the UN Secretary General on this issue, and urge him to continue his efforts despite the difficulties. We also call on the Burmese authorities to work more constructively with the UN in the months ahead.

Burma: Politics and Government

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent visits HM Ambassador to Burma has made to  (a) Chiang Mai and  (b) Mae Sot to meet refugees and exiled political activists from Burma.

Jeremy Browne: Officials at our embassies in Rangoon and Bangkok are in frequent contact with Burmese exile groups and political activists in Thailand, and make regular visits to refugee camps for this purpose.
	Our Charge d'Affairs in Bangkok visited Mae Sot on 17 to 18 January 2011 where he met with a wide range of exile and refugee groups and discussed their concerns, including the recent fighting on the Thai-Burma border. On his return to Bangkok on 19 January, he raised a number of these issues with the Thai Foreign Minister.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on decompression of employees in each year from 2005 to 2010;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on decompression of employees who served in Afghanistan in each year from 2005 to 2010.

Alistair Burt: This information is available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's employees were subject to decompression schemes in each year from 2005 to 2010.

Alistair Burt: There are 290 Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff in Afghanistan and Iraq, where decompression schemes operate. This total includes UK-based and locally engaged staff; only UK-based staff are subject to decompression schemes. For operational and security reasons we cannot break the figures down further. We do not hold figures for previous years in this format.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's employees who had served in Afghanistan were subject to decompression schemes in each year from 2005 to 2010.

Alistair Burt: There are currently 210 Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff in Afghanistan. This total includes UK-based and locally engaged staff; only UK-based staff are subject to decompression schemes. For operational and security reasons we cannot break the figures down further. We do not hold figures for previous years in this format.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on decompression of employees who have served in Afghanistan; and what variation in policy there is according to rank or pay grade.

Alistair Burt: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) policy on decompression breaks in Afghanistan is that staff work a rotation of six weeks at post/two weeks decompression break. Decompression breaks are linked to the overall security situation, which can change over a posting. This policy applies to all FCO staff, regardless of grade.

Departmental Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration his Department is giving to merging its security vetting services with those of the Ministry of Defence; and when a decision on this matter will be reached.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been working with the Cabinet Office on the opportunities to streamline and simplify security vetting across Government. Currently vetting is conducted by two organisations, FCO Services and Developed Vetting Agency (DVA). We continue to look closely at what further improvements could be made. No decision has been taken about merging vetting services.

Departmental Pay

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of subcontracted staff servicing his Department who were not paid at a rate equivalent to or above the London living wage in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: We are not aware of any Foreign and Commonwealth Office subcontracted staff in London who are paid below the minimum wage.

European External Action Service

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff of his Department  (a) are on secondment and  (b) he plans to second to the EU External Action Service.

David Lidington: Recruitment for the EU External Action Service (EAS) is in the early stages, with the majority of posts filled by staff transferred from the European Commission or Council Secretariat. Recruitment of secondees from EU member states began in March 2010 and we now have six members of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on secondment to the EAS. There are also a number of applicants for EAS positions whose applications are still being processed.
	Our long-term aim is for British representation in all EU institutions to be proportionate to the size of our population.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of  (a) 29 November and  (b) 16 December 2010 concerning Mr W Pidgeon.

David Lidington: The correspondence from my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon and Billericay was received on 4 January 2011. The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the hon. Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) replied on 21 January 2011 following his return from overseas.

Pakistan: Christianity

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct the British high commissioner in Pakistan to make representations to the government of Pakistan on the treatment of Christians in that country.

Alistair Burt: Alongside our partners in the European Union, the UK engages regularly and at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan on human rights. This includes calling for the rights and freedoms of all Pakistanis being upheld in accordance with the Pakistani constitution, regardless of faith or ethnicity. Our high commissioner raised the issue of the treatment of minorities in Pakistan with senior interlocutors in the Government of Pakistan.
	I have raised the treatment of religious minorities (including Christians) with the Pakistan Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, on many occasions-most recently on 10 January 2011.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: The human rights situation in Sri Lanka remains a concern following the end of the military conflict. We continue to raise our concerns both bilaterally with the Government of Sri Lanka and in concert with EU colleagues. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I discussed with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister in October 2010 the importance of improving the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterparts on the work of the UN Advisory Panel.

Alistair Burt: We have encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to engage with the UN Secretary-General's Panel of Experts. I raised this most recently with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister when he visited the UK in October 2010 and our acting high commissioner raised it earlier this month with the Sri Lankan authorities.

Taxis

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on taxis since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently uses two contracts with private hire taxi companies: Addison Lee, covering the London area where the FCO spent £70,798 between May and December 2010; and Raffles Taxis, covering the Milton Keynes area with expenditure of £10,385 in the same period. These figures do not include VAT.
	FCO staff travel by the most efficient means of transport, bearing in mind the operational requirement and the need to secure value for money for the public purse. Public transport is used whenever possible and staff avoid using taxis on official business unless it is absolutely necessary.
	Staff should not normally use a taxi at public expense between home and office-nor between airports and central London-except for journeys during the hours when public transport is not running. If it is absolutely necessary for staff to work after 9 pm or before 7 am, they may consider taking a taxi from their destination station to their home address or vice versa.

EDUCATION

CAFCASS: Public Expenditure

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost to the public purse was of operating the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service head office in Wales in 2009-10.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 18 January 2011
	This Department does not hold the information which has been requested; the Welsh Assembly Government is responsible for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in Wales.

Children in Care

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 319-20W, on children in care, how many and what proportion of children who left care through adoption in the year ending on 31 March 2010 were not children looked-after under section 20 of the Children Act 1989.

Tim Loughton: The number and percentage of children who left care through adoption during the year ending 31 March 2010 who were not looked after under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Children adopted during the year ending 31 March who were not looked after under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, year ending 31 March 2010-coverage: England 
			   Number/percentage 
			 Number 3,000 
			 Percentage 94 
			  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100 and percentages to the nearest whole number.  Source: SSDA903

Children in Care

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children left care, where care is defined as subject to a care order, police protection order, emergency protection order, or placement for adoption, and returned to their parents in each year from 1995 to 2010.

Tim Loughton: The percentage of children, subject to a care order, police protection order or emergency protection order or placed for adoption who ceased to be looked after and returned to live with their parents in each year ending 31 March 2001 to 2010 is shown in the table.
	Information on children who ceased to be looked after and returned home to live with their parents was not collected prior to 2001.
	
		
			  Percentage of children who ceased to be looked after during the year ending 31 March children subject to a care order, police protection order, emergency protection order or placed for adoption who were returned to their parents( 1,2,3,4) , years ending 31 March 2001 - 10 ,  coverage:  England 
			   Percentage of children who ceased to be looked after 
			 2001(5) 24 
			 2002(5) 27 
			 2003(5) 27 
			 2004(6) 29 
			 2005(6) 28 
			 2006(6) 24 
			 2007(6) 22 
			 2008(6) 21 
			 2009(6) 20 
			 2010(6) 20 
			 (1) Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Only the last occasion on which a child ceased to be looked after in the year has been counted. (3) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (4) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (5) Figures are derived from the SSDA903 one third sample survey. (6) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which covered all children looked after.  Source: SSDA903

Children in Care: Adoption

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 319-20W, on children in care, how many children were adopted from care in each case, excluding those children in care under section 20 of the Children Act 1989.

Tim Loughton: The number of children adopted from care during the years ending 31 March 2006 to 2010 who were not looked after under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Children adopted during the year ending 31 March who were not looked after under section 20 of the Children Act 1989( 1) ,  Years ending 31 March 2006 - 10 ,  Coverage: England 
			   Number 
			 2006 3,400 
			 2007 3,100 
			 2008 3,000 
			 2009 3,100 
			 2010 3,000 
			 (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: SSDA903

Children in Care: Missing Persons

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in local government care have gone missing in each of the last three years.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 17 January 2011
	 The following table provides the necessary figures:
	
		
			   Number of looked after children missing from care 
			 2008 980 
			 2009 930 
			 2010 810 
		
	
	The information is available in table LAB1 at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000960/index.shtml

Departmental Overtime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on overtime for staff working within his private office in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: The overtime costs for staff working in the Secretary of State's private office in the Department for Children Schools and Families and its predecessor, the Department for Education and Skills in each of the last five years is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 34,766 
			 2006-07 41,648 
			 2007-08 45,593 
			 2008-09 52,715 
			 2009-10 59,021

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department and its predecessors spent on press cuttings services in each year since 1997.

Tim Loughton: The Department's spend on press cuttings services for the last three years is contained in the following table. The Department does not hold a central record of its expenditure on the requested items before 2007 and cannot obtain the information without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Spend (£) 
			 2009/10 144,000 
			 2008/09 157,000 
			 2007/08 154,000

Departmental Sponsorship

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies incurred on sponsorship in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: The Department does not record expenditure separately for sponsorship and therefore the amount spent could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and sponsorship is not recorded separately. Provision of the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Any expenditure that is spent on sponsorship must be in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Education: South Yorkshire

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the funding of education business partnerships in South Yorkshire.

Nick Gibb: We are considering the future funding of education business partnership services in the context of the allocations of the spending review 2010 settlement. We plan to announce decisions shortly. I will write to the right hon. Member.

Foster Care: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average cost to the public purse was of a child placed  (a) with a foster carer and  (b) in a residential children's home in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: The average unit cost of placing a child with a foster carer or in a residential children's home for years 2005-08 is given in the following table. The Department no longer collects the information from local authorities which would readily permit such figures to be produced.
	The University of Kent was however commissioned by the Department of Health and Department for Education to calculate the unit costs of health and social care in 2009/10. They calculated that it cost local authorities £2,494 a week for a placement of a child at a residential children's home and £676 a week for a foster placement. Because a different data source was used the figures are not strictly compatible with those in 2005-08.
	
		
			  Unit expenditure on children's homes( 1)  and fostering care( 2)  in England: 2004-05 to 2008-09( 3) 
			  Financial year  Children looked after in children's homes per child per week  (£)  Children looked after in foster care per child per week  (£) 
			 2005-06 2,318 420 
			 2006-07 2,402 463 
			 2007-08 2,428 489 
			 (1) Children's homes covers expenditure on residential care in voluntary children's and registered children's homes as defined in Children Act 1989. This includes: associated independent visitor costs and relevant contact payments under sections 20/34 of the Children Act 1989; homes where education is provided, but does not attract education; department funds; boarding schools; the social services share of the costs of community homes with education provision and the social services element of accommodating children with special education needs in schools where the education element is met by the education department. (2) Fostering care includes all in-house provision, fostering services purchased externally, fees and allowances paid to foster parents and the costs of social worker and other support staff who support foster carers. For example, mainstay placements; link placements; permanence placements; temporary/respite fostering; placements with relatives, other than a parent, under foster care; arrangements; placed with approved prospective adopters pending the making of an adoption order under the Adoption and Children Act 2002; associated independent visitor costs and relevant contact payments under sections 20/34 of the Children Act 1989. (3) Expenditure data for 2005-06 to 2007-08 are drawn from PSSEX data published on the NHS IC website

Freedom of Information

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what judgments have been made by the Information Commissioner on his Department's responses to freedom of information requests in the last 12 months; and how many of these related to child protection.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 18 January 2011
	 The Information Commissioner has issued nine decision notices on the Department's responses to freedom of information requests within the last 12 months, and details of these are given as follows. Two of these had some connection to child protection, in that one was about an application to join the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, and the other about the ContactPoint Data Security Review. These decisions can be accessed on the website of the Information Commissioner's Office at
	http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk/tools_and_resources/decision_notices.aspx
	
		
			   ICO reference number  Subject 
			 1 March 2010 FS50144707 Frontline Technology Ltd. patent for electronic registration system 
			 1 March 2010 FS50167790 Drafts of evaluation reports on academy policy 
			 2 March 2010 FS50127519 Correspondence with the Prince of Wales 
			 4 March 2010 FS50164940 Building Schools for the Future Programme (Camden) 
			 22 June 2010 FS50218437 ContactPoint Data Security Review 
			 22 November 2010 FS50274798 Rail travel expenses 
			 16 December 2010 FS50285730 Elective home education 
			 20 December 2010 FS50260412 Phorm's application to join the UK Council for Child Internet Safety 
			 10 January 2011 FS50264783 Academy review report

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 10 December 2010 in regard to Mrs E Flint.

Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State for Education replied to the right hon. Member on 21 January.

Runaway Children

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many local authorities provide services to support young people who run away from home or care;
	(2)  whether he plans to take steps to ensure that those with parental responsibility for a child make a report when that child goes missing;
	(3)  if he will estimate the number of children who ran away from home or care in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: All local authorities and their partners are required to provide services to safeguard the young and the vulnerable, including those who run away from home or care. Details of these services are not collected centrally.
	Procedures are already in place to ensure that children's homes and fostering services make a report when a young person goes missing. The National Minimum Standards for children's homes and fostering services require that all registered children's homes and fostering services should have explicit procedures to follow when children in their care may be missing or absent without permission. Where a young person is not in the care of children's services, it is the responsibility of the parents/carers to report the young person missing.
	Local police forces are currently required to share data from the Police National Computer (PNC) on the numbers of missing young people reported to them with the Missing Persons' Bureau in the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA). Local authorities then determine the best ways to work with the police to collate the data on numbers of runaways in their area, whether from home or from care, but this data are not collected centrally.

Schools: Sports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has of the average number of sports clubs a secondary school has worked with in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 13 January 2011
	 The Department does not hold this information centrally; we can only provide information about the average number of sports in respect of which schools have had links with clubs. I include a table for ease of reference.
	
		
			  PE and sport surveys  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Average number of listed sports and activities(1) for which secondary schools had links to clubs 10.6 11.2 11.9 12.7 13.8 
			 Number of secondary schools 2,627 3,117 3,114 3,387 3,325 
			 (1) This is based on a list of 50 sports and activities, with a further box for schools to mark if they have links to clubs who do 'other' sports or activities.

Young People: Carers

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to require local authorities to collect data on the number of carers under the age of 18 years.

Tim Loughton: Local and national data on the number of young carers is not held centrally although it is possible to make broad estimates of numbers from data.
	The 2001 Census estimates that there are approximately 139,000 children in England aged 17 or under offering some care to a family member, neighbour or friend. The 2011 Census data will provide a more up to date figure later this year.
	However it is widely acknowledged that there are a number of hidden young carers.
	Helping to care for a family member is something that many young people are happy and proud to do. These young people play an absolutely vital role both for their families and society as a whole and they deserve our recognition and support.
	However, I have met many young carers and they have made it clear to me that they want their school, GPs and other services to be more flexible and supportive in helping them and their families' address their needs more effectively.
	The Government recently published the updated Carers Strategy entitled "Recognised, valued and supported: next steps for the Carers Strategy". The strategy recognises that there are a number of 'hidden' young carers and sends out a strong signal that effective support for young carers requires adults and children's services and the voluntary sector and others to work together to identify and support young carers and prevent them from taking on harmful caring roles that put their health and/or education at risk.
	Local authorities and primary care trusts are best placed to develop services in response to local demand and to assess local data.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Bill of Rights

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the responses received to the consultation, A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland: Next Steps; and whether he plans to produce a summary report.

Hugo Swire: We have already made available, on 16 December 2010, the responses to the previous Government's consultation on a Bill of Rights. We have no plans to produce a further summary report. In my written ministerial statement to the House of 16 December 2010,  Official Report, column 131W, announcing publication of the responses to the consultation exercise, I made clear that, while there was support for a Bill of Rights among human rights groups along the lines recommended by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, there was also opposition to this. The statement noted in particular that there remained a divergence of views among political parties in Northern Ireland on how best to proceed.

Bill of Rights

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made on the development of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland; and what discussions he has had with  (a) political parties in Northern Ireland and  (b) other stakeholders on that matter.

Hugo Swire: The Government remain committed to fulfilling their commitments under the Belfast agreement. However the lack of consensus in Northern Ireland on the issue of a Bill of Rights remains a considerable barrier to further progress.
	Northern Ireland Office Ministers and officials have had discussions on this issue since the election with political and other interested parties, including human rights NGOs, and will continue to do so in the coming months.

Departmental Communication

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he has undertaken to reduce jargon and promote plain English in Departmental communications.

Owen Paterson: Staff in the Northern Ireland Office are aware of the need to ensure that all internal and external communications are clearly understandable.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010;
	(2)  what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Owen Paterson: Since May 2010 I have made 12 appointments (eight male and four female) to public bodies in Northern Ireland. These are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Public body  Male/ Female  Chairman/ Members  Full-time/Part-time  Remuneration 
			 Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland Male - Full-time £58,200 per annum 
			 Equality Commission for Northern Ireland 3 Male; 1 Female 4 Members Part-time £5,000 per annum 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland 4 Male; 3 Female 1 Chairman; 6 Members Part-time Chairman £500 per diem; Members £250 per diem

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biochar

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether she has made an assessment of the likely requirement for Government incentives in order for the development of biochar to be commercially viable;
	(2)  how much funding her Department has allocated to research into the use of biochar as a fuel in each of the last five years; and how much such funding she plans to allocate in each of the next four financial years;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of biochar as a fuel source.

James Paice: DEFRA has not made an assessment of the likely requirement for Government incentives in order for the development of biochar to be commercially viable. However, DEFRA, in collaboration with the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), has undertaken a review of the potential benefits, costs and issues surrounding the addition of biochar to soil. This found that the evidence base supporting the addition of biochar to soil was not particularly developed or robust, particularly under UK conditions, and that the potential for introducing contaminants to the soil from biochar was a particular concern. No further work has been planned. The study is available on the DEFRA website:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk
	Biochar originates from biomass, and its production and combustion is eligible for support under DECC's renewables obligation mechanism. The level of support available will depend on the type of technology used to generate electricity; for example, if advanced pyrolysis or gasification is used, it would be awarded two renewable obligation certificates per megawatt hour.
	Biochar produced from virgin biomass will be subject to the sustainability criteria to be introduced in the renewables obligation from April 2011.

Biodiversity

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she next expects to report on progress towards achieving each of the targets for priority species and habitats contained in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Richard Benyon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 January 2011,  Official Report, column 692W.

Birds of Prey

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the buzzard population in the UK in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The most recent published estimate of the size of the Common Buzzard population of the UK was of 44,000-61,000 territorial pairs in 2000. Annual monitoring of trends is undertaken by the British Trust for Ornithology/Royal Society for the Protection of Birds/Joint Nature Conservation Committee Breeding Bird Survey. The UK trend for the most recent five year period for which data is available (2003-08) and calculated across 1,069 survey plots, was a 15% increase in that period.

Cod: Quotas

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the merits of reallocating cod quotas in Area VIId in the light of the annual under-utilisation by the over 10 metre sector.

Richard Benyon: The merits of reallocating under-utilised quotas is being considered as part of the work to explore options for reform of fisheries management arrangements.
	There are several reasons why the in-year reallocation of underutilised quota is not currently undertaken, e.g. quota holders may be retaining their quota to fish later in the year, or to use as swap currency to acquire different quota. The prospect of such reallocation can encourage a race to fish, which could mean that a fish stock is targeted out of season, thus increasing effort and discards of other stocks. Such reallocation may also impact on prices due to a surplus of fish on the market. Furthermore, there is also a risk of 'ghost' fishing in order to secure ongoing access and prevent reallocation-something that is difficult to enforce against.
	I recognise the difficulties currently facing the under-10m fleet. I am committed to reforming the fisheries management arrangements, in order to place the fleet on a more sustainable footing. A consultation is due to be launched in the spring, and in the meantime work continues to consider what support can be offered to the under-10m fleet in the short-term.

Common Agricultural Policy: Reform

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received from farmers' unions on her Department's plans to reform the Common Agricultural Policy.

James Paice: holding answer 21 January 2011
	Specifically regarding farmers' unions, we have received a number of letters on DEFRA's plans to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) from the National Farmers' Union (NFU). The NFU's input into the CAP reform debate has provided us with a valuable insight into its stance on the progress of the negotiations.
	Discussions between DEFRA and the NFU will be of great value over the coming months. I continue to welcome views from all interested parties over the course of the negotiations and would also encourage them to respond directly to the Commission's current consultation on CAP.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by her Department since May 2010;
	(2)  what public appointments she has made since her appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Richard Benyon: There have been no public appointments made since the Secretary of State was appointed.
	Any public appointments would be regulated by The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA).

Efficient and Resilient Food Chain

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the expenditure of her Department's Efficient and Resilient Food Chain research and development programme was in each year since 2006; and what its levels of expenditure will be in each of the next four financial years.

James Paice: Table 1 shows DEFRA's expenditure on the Farming and Food Resource Efficient and Resilient Food Chain research and development programme for the past five financial years.
	
		
			  Table 1: DEFRA research  and  development funding  on  resource  efficient  and resilient food chain 
			   £ 
			 2009-10 3,355,695.00 
			 2008-09 3,867,368.00 
			 2007-08 4,991,645.00 
			 2006-07 4,693,895.00 
			 2005-06 2,800,754.00 
			  Source: Data taken from the Science and Information System 
		
	
	DEFRA has not yet determined the details of research and development spend over the next five years for this programme. However, provisional evidence budgets which include research and development activity on food have been allocated.
	Table 2 shows indicative evidence budget allocations for the current and the next four financial years.
	
		
			  Table 2: Indicative evidence budget allocations 
			   £ 
			 2010-11 3,291,000.00 
			 2011-12 3,107,000.00 
			 2012-13(1) 2,618,000.00 
			 2013-14(1) 2,051,000.00 
			 2014-15(1) 1,271,000.00 
			 (1) From 2012-13 onwards, a proportion of the evidence budget for this programme is held back in an 'unallocated reserve' which is excluded from the figures in this table. This ring-fenced reserve will be annually reallocated to the programme according to the DEFRA's Chief Scientific Adviser's advice on evidence priorities. 
		
	
	Flexibility in the evidence allocation process for 2012-13 onwards is essential so that we can adjust our investment in evidence to respond to developing challenges. For example, significant changes to the direction of DEFRA's investment in evidence could result from the outcomes of White Papers or other major assessments that impact on priorities. At the same time it is recognised that the Department has to meet a number of 'less flexible' statutory monitoring and animal health surveillance requirements, i.e. classed as 'non-discretionary' spend.
	To allow DEFRA investment to align to top evidence priorities, an unallocated evidence reserve has been created by 'top-slicing' the discretionary element of the evidence budget. The proportion of the discretionary element contributing to the unallocated reserve will be 10% in 2012-13, 25% in 2013-14 and 50% in 2014-15. This reserve will be reallocated back to individual programmes annually, taking into account overall evidence priorities.
	Statutory monitoring and animal health surveillance budgets are not contributing to the unallocated evidence reserve. However, in order to meet the total evidence savings needed across the spending review period, these budgets are generally being reduced by 5% year on year as a minimum. It is anticipated that these savings will be achievable through seeking efficiencies. Where this will not be possible, funds from the unallocated evidence reserve will be accessible.

Farmers: Milk

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the volume of milk disposed of by farmers as a consequence of a lack of tanker collections during the recent severe weather.

James Paice: We have maintained close contact with farming organisations throughout the recent severe weather conditions. Industry has informed us that the volume of milk disposed of was no more than 0.2% of December's production.

Fisheries: Quotas

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings she has had on ending the practice of discarding fish before landing.

Richard Benyon: As UK Fisheries Minister, I lead on discussions with our European counterparts on the discarding of fish. At the Fisheries Council in December 2010, I negotiated with the European Commission and member states to agree fishing opportunities for 2011. The need to find solutions to the problem of discarding formed an important part of those negotiations. In addition, I chaired meetings on Fisheries Council priorities, where discards was discussed, in Belfast in October 2010 and Brussels in December 2010, with fishery industry representatives, non-governmental organisations and devolved Administrations.
	There will be further discussions this year with member states and the Commission on the topic of minimising discards, and the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy in 2012. The UK will continue to lead the way within the EU on finding practical solutions to the discard issue.

Flood Control

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria her Department uses in determining flood risks to each geographical area of England.

Richard Benyon: Flood risk is assessed as a combination of criteria covering probability, based on historical floods and computer modelling of physical characteristics of the landscape, and consequences, based on the impact of flooding on people, properties, infrastructure and the environment. The presence and condition of flood defences is also taken into account. Further information can be found in the Environment Agency's 2008 publication "Flooding in England: A National Assessment of Flood Risk".
	Each risk management authority is responsible for managing risk as defined under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

Flood Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the future provision of flood prevention services previously provided through the Government Office Network; and what estimate she has made of the effects on flood prevention services of the closure of that network.

Richard Benyon: The contribution of the Government Office Network to flood prevention is focused on resilience. The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) is responsible for developing, implementing and managing a new way of working to deliver sub-national resilience, supporting the delivery of national resilience in England.
	The sub-national resilience role is a new one, although it does build on the work and the relationships developed by the current regional resilience teams based in the Government offices. In taking forward the role CLG will be putting in place a new approach, reflecting the shift of priorities brought about by the Government.

Flood Control: Finance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what geographical circumstances and characteristics of areas at risk of flooding she plans to take into account in determining financial allocations to local authorities for flood prevention and protection; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: All local authorities in England receive funding support for flood and coastal erosion risk management through formula grant arrangements. From the 2011-12 financial year, lead local flood authorities (established under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010) will receive additional support as area based grant to meet the costs of their new roles and responsibilities under the Act. Individual allocations are based on property counts taken from the Environment Agency's Flood Maps (which indicate susceptibility to river and sea flooding) and Surface Water Vulnerability Maps.
	A minimum amount of funding has been set at £110,000 to ensure that every lead local flood authority receives sufficient funding to meet new burdens, with more funding provided where the risk to people and property is greater. Map-based data on the presence of rivers for which local authorities have responsibility is being used to help determine the funding allocations to authorities under formula grant arrangements. Local authority expenditure on levies (including local levy to the Environment Agency and special levy to Internal Drainage Boards) will continue to be supported through formula grant, with allocations informed by records of past expenditure.
	The use of map-based data follows calls made on the Government to improve the basis on which funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management is allocated to local authorities, and followed a process of consulting local authorities. The Government will keep the use of map-based data under review to ensure that we continue to have the fairest possible outcome for local authorities in future spending periods.

Floods

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the number of properties  (a) constructed on flood plains and  (b) at risk of flooding.

Richard Benyon: About 5.2 million properties in England, or one in six properties, are in areas at risk of flooding. Of these, 2.4 million properties are at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea, 1 million of which are also at risk of surface water flooding. A further 2.8 million properties are susceptible to surface water flooding alone.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government publishes statistics on the percentage of new dwellings built in areas of high flood risk for each year since 1989. These can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/xls/1658129.xls

Floods: Insurance

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the insurance industry on the provision of insurance cover to those areas and properties at risk of flooding.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA had discussions with key representatives from the insurance industry, the National Flood Forum, the Environment Agency and local government at a Flood Insurance summit in September last year. We agreed to continue working in partnership to ensure insurance against flooding remains widely available beyond 2013, when the current Statement of Principles agreement expires.

Food

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding her Department plans to provide for research on food security and sustainable crop yields in each of the next four financial years.

James Paice: DEFRA's Farming and Food Research and Development Programme addresses the challenges of food security and sustainable crop yields. DEFRA has not yet determined the details of its research spend over the next four financial years. However, indicative evidence budgets have been allocated.
	Evidence is defined as reliable and accurate information that DEFRA can use to support sound decisions in developing, shaping, and evaluating policy. It includes research and development, monitoring and surveillance, economic and statistical analysis and modelling, secondary analysis and synthesis, and analysis of stakeholder views.
	The following table shows minimum indicative evidence budget allocations for the Farming and Food Research and Development Programme for the next four financial years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Indicative evidence budget allocations for farming and food (£ million) 
			 2010-11 43.25 
			 2011-12 42.31 
			 2012-13(1) 36.38 
			 2013-14(1) 29.79 
			 2014-15(1) 20.96 
			 (1) From 2012-13 onwards, a proportion of each evidence budget is held back in an 'unallocated reserve' which is excluded from the figures in this table. This ring-fenced reserve will be annually reallocated to individual programmes according to the DEFRA's Chief Scientific Adviser's advice on evidence priorities.  Notes: 1. Flexibility in the evidence allocation process for 2012-13 onwards is essential so that we can adjust our investment in evidence to respond to developing challenges. For example, significant changes to the direction of DEFRA's investment in evidence could result from the outcomes of White Papers or other major assessments that impact on priorities. At the same time it is recognised that DEFRA has to meet a number of 'less flexible' statutory monitoring and animal health surveillance requirements, i.e. classed as 'non-discretionary' spend. 2. To allow DEFRA investment to align to top evidence priorities, an unallocated evidence reserve has been created by 'top-slicing' the discretionary element of the evidence budget. The proportion of the discretionary element contributing to the unallocated reserve will be 10% in 2012-13, 25% in 2013-14 and 50% in 2014-15. This reserve will be reallocated back to individual programmes annually, taking into account overall evidence priorities. 3. Statutory monitoring and animal health surveillance budgets are not contributing to the unallocated evidence reserve. However, in order to meet the total evidence savings needed across the spending review period, these budgets are generally being reduced by 5% year on year as a minimum. It is anticipated that these savings will be achievable through seeking efficiencies. Where this will not be possible, funds from the unallocated evidence reserve will be accessible. 
		
	
	The research councils of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will also be contributing to the Global Food Security Programme, which will include sustainable crop yields. The indicative budget allocation for global security in the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's delivery plan is £104 million a year in the next four financial years. Other research councils will also be contributing towards the Global Food Security Programme. The following table shows the indicative total contributions of these research councils towards the programme over the next four financial years.
	
		
			  Research council  Indicative contribution towards the Global Food Security Programme in the 2011-12 to 2014-15 period (£ million) 
			 Economic and Social Research Council 8 
			 Medical Research Council 10 
			 Natural Environment Research Council 15 
		
	
	In addition to this, contributions to the programme will be made by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, largely through its manufacturing portfolio.

Forestry Commission

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of changes in the level of access to rights of way over Forestry Commission land that has been sold by her Department in each of the last four years.

James Paice: holding answer 20 January 2011
	We have not made an assessment on this issue. Local highway authorities are responsible for the management of public rights of way and have a statutory duty to assert and protect the rights of the public as to their use and enjoyment.

Forestry Commission: Land

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the proportion of Forestry Commission land to be sold in each of the next four financial years.

James Paice: The Forestry Commission in England will be selling at least 15% of the public forest estate (40,000 hectares) by the end of this spending review period. The Government will shortly consult on a range of models for the future ownership and management for the other 85% of the public forest estate.

Forestry Commission: Land

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Forestry Commission has paid to the Crown Estate for each parcel of land sold in the last five years which has been transferred to the Forestry Commission under the Forestry (Transfer of Woods) Act 1923.

James Paice: The Forestry Commission has not sold any land in the last five years which has required it to make a payment to the Crown Estates under the Forestry (Transfer of Woods) Act 1923.

Greyhounds: Animal Welfare

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to improve the welfare of racing greyhounds.

James Paice: The Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, which apply to England only, provides the welfare conditions for greyhounds at racing tracks and the traceability of greyhounds used in the sport. In addition, anyone who owns or keeps a racing greyhound must provide for the welfare needs of their animals, as required by the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
	If anyone has any concerns about the way in which a racing greyhound is being kept they should report it to the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, who enforce the 2010 regulations in relation to their tracks, or the relevant local authority who enforce the regulations in respect of independent tracks and who also have powers under the 2006 Act to investigate allegations of cruelty or neglect.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the  (a) farming industry and  (b) food and retail sector on the powers and functions of the Groceries Code Adjudicator; what the (i) dates and (ii) locations of such discussions were; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The Secretary of State has met the farming industry and the food and retail sector numerous times since taking office to consider a wide range of issues relevant to the food chain. There have been no meetings specifically or solely about the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), but on occasion there has been an exchange of views on the GCA. The Secretary of State has not discussed the specific powers and functions of the GCA, which were the subject of a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consultation exercise last year. The Government published its response to the consultation on 3 August 2010, announcing its decision on these powers and functions.

Harlequin Ladybirds

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the number of harlequin ladybirds in the UK.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not commissioned any work to estimate the number of harlequin ladybirds in the UK. However, DEFRA funding supported the highly successful public participation Harlequin Ladybird Survey. Information on the documented spread of the species across the country is available on the Harlequin Ladybird Survey website at:
	http://www.harlequin-survey.org

Harlequin Ladybirds

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to prevent the spread of harlequin ladybirds.

Richard Benyon: There is no simple means to prevent the harlequin ladybird from spreading. Scientists at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology are undertaking some detailed analysis on the trends of native ladybird species in response to the arrival of the harlequin ladybird, using Biological Records Centre data collected through volunteer recording schemes. This work could help in the consideration of any future actions. They are also studying the adaptation of native parasites to the harlequin ladybird and there is an increase in the prevalence of these attacking harlequins. As with the very successful Harlequin Ladybird Survey itself, members of the public are being asked to help by recording and reporting what they see through the UK Ladybird Parasite Survey which was launched last year:
	www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/ladybird-parasites

Harlequin Ladybirds

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the effect on native species of the harlequin ladybird.

Richard Benyon: UK experts on this species are leading a European group of 120 scientists working in this field. Both laboratory and field studies suggest the impact on other species, particularly those that have a high niche overlap with the harlequin, is high. The Biological Records Centre's UK ladybird survey data are proving vital for this work.

Himalayan Balsam

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to prevent the spread of Himalayan balsam.

Richard Benyon: Himalayan balsam is widespread in the wild in Britain and it would not be efficient use of Government resources to tackle this plant above other priorities. However, the Administrations in England, Scotland and Wales launched the Invasive Non-native Species Framework Strategy for Great Britain in 2008 as a joint policy framework. Its aim is to minimise the risk posed by invasive non-native species in Great Britain and to reduce the negative impacts which they cause. Through our work on the GB strategy we are helping local action groups who are taking action to manage this plant and others on a local level.
	While there is no statutory requirement for landowners to remove the plant from their property, because of its potential harm to habitats and native species it is listed on schedule 9 and subject to section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to plant, or cause this species to grow, in the wild.
	We have supported research into finding a natural biological control agent to help control Himalayan balsam, but to date a suitable agent has not been found.

Himalayan Balsam

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect on native species of the spread of Himalayan balsam.

Richard Benyon: We have not undertaken a specific assessment of the effect Himalayan balsam has on native species. However in the extensive areas of infestation particularly in riparian habitats it competes very effectively for space with native plants and its other impacts include impeding access and exacerbating bank erosion when the plant dies back.

Himalayan Balsam

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the extent of the spread of Himalayan balsam in the last 10 years.

Richard Benyon: According to the National Biodiversity Network gateway:
	http://data.nbn.org.uk
	since its first recording in the wild in 1855, Himalayan balsam has now been recorded in the vast majority of 10 km squares in Britain. DEFRA has made no specific assessment of its spread over the last 10 years.

Japanese Knotweed

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what requirements her Department places on local authorities to take steps against the spread of Japanese knotweed; and what guidance it issues to local authorities on  (a) controlling and  (b) eliminating the plant.

Richard Benyon: There is no statutory requirement for landowners to remove the plant from their property, nor is strategic widespread control the sole responsibility of any particular body. All landowners on whose property Japanese knotweed occurs however should take care to prevent its spread onto neighbouring land or generally into the wild. Local authorities can require landowners to clean up "land adversely affecting the amenity of the neighbourhood" and also have the power to undertake clean-up works and to recover costs from the landowner. If Japanese knotweed is growing on the local authority's own land, it is reasonable to expect that authority to take appropriate action. As public bodies, they are subject to section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006 which requires all public bodies to have regard to the conservation of biodiversity when carrying out their functions and this may be relevant where the weed is affecting biodiversity interests.
	The Environment Agency offers guidance and advice on the control and elimination of Japanese knotweed, and has published a code of practice which can be found on its website at:
	http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Japanese Knotweed

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 10 local authority areas in England have the highest incidence of Japanese knotweed.

Richard Benyon: As can be seen on the National Biodiversity Network gateway at:
	http://data.nbn.org.uk
	Japanese knotweed has been recorded in the vast majority of 10 km squares in Britain. DEFRA does not hold information ranking its incidence according to local authority areas. Japanese knotweed is widespread throughout England and some local authorities particularly badly affected have taken specific action against it, for example the Cornwall Japanese Knotweed Forum.

Lake Windermere: Navigation

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to make a decision on the proposed Windermere navigation byelaws and Windermere registration byelaws.

Richard Benyon: I am currently considering proposals and I expect to be able to announce a decision shortly.

Livestock: Foot and Mouth Disease

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the threat to livestock from an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

James Paice: DEFRA's assessment is that there is a continual low risk of the introduction of foot and mouth disease (FMD) into the UK (and the EU) from currently affected regions around the world. Additional measures have been put in place as a result of the ongoing situation in Bulgaria, including alerting industry to the situation. More generally, preliminary outbreak assessments are published regularly on the DEFRA website for FMD and other disease incidents around the world.

National Wildlife Crime Unit: Finance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding the National Wildlife Crime Unit will receive from her Department in the next four years.

Richard Benyon: As a result of the spending review all Government Departments are reviewing their spending and virtually all will have reduced budgets in the coming years, as part of the Government's drive to reduce the country's budget deficit.
	DEFRA, along with the other bodies that have provided funding for the Unit, is currently determining its spending priorities. Good progress is being made but it is too soon to say what funding can be made available for the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Plants

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to prevent new alien plant species taking hold in the UK.

Richard Benyon: Policy on invasive non-native species is a devolved issue. The administrations in England, Scotland and Wales launched the Invasive Non-native Species Framework Strategy for Great Britain in 2008 as a joint policy framework. It is built on a key principle agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity which ranks prevention, early detection and rapid action, and longer term management in that order of priority.
	Under the Strategy, the "Be Plantwise" campaign, in partnership with industry and user organisations, aims to raise awareness of the issues and advises users of non-native plants on key behaviours to reduce the risks of introducing invasive plants to the wild. In addition we are considering whether to use legislative powers to prohibit the sale of specified invasive species, and as an example of cost-effective action taken, all known occurrences of the South American creeping water primrose, which is a significant problem on the continent are being eradicated since it was caught early enough.

Plants

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the number of alien plant species in the UK.

Richard Benyon: Under the GB Invasive Non-native Species Framework Strategy we are in the process of developing the GB Non-native Species Information Portal in partnership with key organisations. This will collate information on records of non-native species (invasive and otherwise) and will help to improve reporting and monitoring of these species. For example, there are approximately 1,800 non-native flowering plants in the database at present but the accuracy of the information has not yet been verified by key partner bodies.

Plants: Nature Conservation

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what statutory agencies are responsible for plant conservation;
	(2)  how much funding her Department plans to provide for plant conservation in 2010-11; and to what bodies it plans to make payments for this purpose.

Richard Benyon: Funding will be provided to the Food and Environment Research Agency, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Natural England, the Environment Agency, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and the National Forest Company. The Forestry Commission, as a non-ministerial Government Department, will also receive funding some of which may be used for plant conservation.
	Information on how much of this funding will be used for plant conservation is not held centrally and could be gathered only at a disproportionate cost.

Poultry: Swine Flu

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to  (a) issue and  (b) revise guidance to farmers and individuals who work with poultry since the first case of swine influenza transfer from human to bird occurred in January 2011; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: holding answer 21 January 2011
	DEFRA has a range of advice on its website for bird keepers to help them protect their birds from all types of disease, including H1N1 influenza. On 12 January, following the finding of a low pathogenic H1N1 influenza virus in turkeys, DEFRA updated its website to remind bird keepers to maintain appropriate biosecurity measures. Guidance on worker protection, provided by the Health and Safety Executive, is also incorporated into DEFRA's website.

Rural Community Buildings Loan Fund

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department plans to provide to the Rural Community Buildings Loan Fund in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) each of the next four years.

Richard Benyon: The value of the Rural Community Buildings Loan Fund, which is administered on DEFRA's behalf by Action with Communities in Rural Areas (ACRE), stands at £700,000. There are currently no plans to change that.

Sewers

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the level of leaks from  (a) sewers and  (b) water pipes in each region; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Ofwat reports on water company leakage in its annual service and delivery report. A copy of the latest report is available in the Library of the House. Leakage figures for each water company for 2009-10 are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Leakage performance 2009-10 (total leakage Megalitres/day) 
			   2009-10 
			  Water and sewerage companies:  
			 Anglian 210 
			 Dwr Cymru 195 
			 Northumbrian-North East 155 
			 Northumbrian-Essex and Suffolk 67 
			 Severn Trent 495 
			 South West 82 
			 Southern 95 
			 Thames 670 
			 United Utilities 460 
			 Wessex 74 
			 Yorkshire 295 
			  Water only companies:  
			 Bournemouth and W Hampshire 22 
			 Bristol 53 
			 Cambridge 14.2 
			 Dee Valley 10.4 
			 Veolia Water South East (Folkestone) 7.8 
			 Portsmouth 29 
			 South East (inc Mid Kent) 96 
			 South Staffordshire 74 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 24 
			 Veolia Water East (Tendring Hundred) 5.0 
			 Veolia Water Central (Three Valleys) 145 
			 Industry 3280 
		
	
	Numbers may not total correctly because of rounding.
	Ofwat does not collect information on leakage from sewers.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change: International Co-operation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2011,  Official Report, column 311W, on climate change: international co-operation, if he will estimate the direct carbon dioxide emissions arising from the participation of the UK delegation in the Cancún climate change conference; what contribution has been made in respect of such travel through the Government Carbon Offsetting Facility; and what method was used to calculate this offset.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published greenhouse gas conversion factors for air passenger transport in October 2010. Using these factors, the total emissions from the UK delegation to Cancun is 233t.
	The calculation methodology is based on the distance travelled per delegate, measured in kilometres on a geodesic basis, and the class of travel. The distance in kilometres is increased by 9%, in line with the DEFRA guidance, and a conversion factor specific to the class of travel applied. The total is then multiplied by a radiative forcing factor of 1.9.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change will purchase offsets in spring 2011 to offset the emissions from all air travel undertaken in the 2010-11 financial year, including travel to and from Cancun by DECC Ministers and officials. The Department will make use of the Government Carbon Offsetting Facility, with full details placed on the Department's website.

Departmental Communication

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measures he has undertaken to reduce jargon and promote plain English in departmental communications.

Gregory Barker: DECC is committed to being an open and transparent Government Department. Staff understand the need to minimise the use of jargon and promote plain English in departmental communications. DECC's communications strategy underlines DECC's commitment to increase transparency and openness in departmental communications.
	It is an aim of the Department to ensure that content on the DECC website and e-communication channels is straightforward, engaging and delivered in plain English. A recent review of the Department's website:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk
	carried out by an independent research company, found that this was the case with content described as "very good and useful to increase knowledge", as well as "easy to read and comprehend".
	The Department is currently working on a project to improve the navigation and structure of the DECC site to make content easier to find. On consultations, DECC is committed to ensuring that consultation documents are self-contained and as clear as possible-in particular, aiming to make all information published clear in terms of the language used, avoiding jargon, abbreviations and acronyms where possible (where they are unavoidable, including them in a glossary of terms).
	Finally, written correspondence to Members of Parliament and members of the public is drafted with the help of a Formatting Guide, one clear requirement of which is for all acronyms to be spelled out in full the first time they are used.

Energy: Meters

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average difference was between the average annual cost of electricity to low-income families paying for electricity through  (a) pre-payment meters and  (b) direct debit in each of the last four years; and what estimate he has made of the likely average differences in each of the next four financial years.

Charles Hendry: DECC does not hold information on average annual electricity bills specifically for low-income households. However, average annual electricity bills for all UK customers (regardless of income) are available by payment type in DECC's publication 'Quarterly Energy Prices'. The following table shows the average standard electricity bill(1) for direct debit customers and for pre-payment meter customers and their difference for each year between 2007 and 2010.
	(1) Based on an average annual consumption of 3,300 kWh
	
		
			  Average bills for standard electricity by payment type 
			  £ 
			   Direct Debit  Pre-payment  Difference 
			 2007 349 401 52 
			 2008 376 424 48 
			 2009 421 466 45 
			 2010 397 449 52 
		
	
	DECC's estimates of future energy prices relate to the average prices paid by the domestic sector. DECC does not make different estimates of future energy prices based on method of payment.

Energy: Meters

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of progress by energy companies on eliminating additional charges and costs on those paying for electricity through pre-payment meters.

Charles Hendry: Ofgem has put in place rules to protect consumers, which include licence conditions to ensure any difference in the prices charged between different payment methods are cost reflective.
	Ofgem has found that the charges for customers paying by pre-payment meter are, on average, below the equivalent standard credit tariffs and less than the indicative cost difference identified during their 2008 Energy Supply Probe between a prepayment meter customer and a customer paying by direct debit. The full Ofgem report is available online at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/ensuppro/Documents1/Update%20on%20Probe%20Monitoring _FINAL.pdf
	We support Ofgem's actions in tackling unjustified tariff premiums to ensure consumers do not lose out.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with energy supply companies on the inclusion of families with children in the eligibility criteria for social tariffs.

Gregory Barker: Social tariffs are part of the current voluntary agreement between Government and energy suppliers. This agreement comes to an end in March 2011 and will be replaced by Warm Home Discount.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the number of children living in households with inadequate heating.

Gregory Barker: The data requested is not available.
	However, data from the 2008 English Housing Survey suggest that around 785,000 households in England contain children under the age of 16 and live in the lowest two (F or G) energy efficiency rated homes.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department plans to take to raise awareness of social tariffs among low-income households in each of the next four financial years.

Gregory Barker: Social tariffs are part of the current voluntary agreement between Government and energy suppliers. This agreement comes to an end in March 2011 and will be replaced by Warm Home Discount.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the systems for data matching between energy supply companies and the Government on those eligible for the warm home discount.

Gregory Barker: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has had discussions with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on various topics.
	Officials in both Departments have worked very closely together on the development and operation of the data matching system for the successful Energy Rebate scheme. This scheme delivered rebates of £80 on electricity bills to over 200,000 older poorer pensioners in 2010.
	Subject to the outcome of the Government Consultation on the Warm Home Discount scheme which closed on 14 January 2011, and parliamentary agreement to regulations, officials from both Departments are expected to continue to work closely to deliver the data matching system, and other elements, of the proposed Warm Home Discount scheme.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of elderly people eligible for the warm home discount in  (a) Glasgow North East constituency,  (b) Glasgow,  (c) Scotland,  (d) England,  (e) Northern Ireland and  (f) Wales in each of the next four financial years.

Gregory Barker: A consultation on the Government's proposals for the Warm Home Discount, which included proposed eligibility arrangements, closed on 14 January. The responses to consultation are currently being considered and the Government will publish a response in due course.
	In this initial proposal, the focus of the scheme would be on providing support to older poorer pensioners through the Core Group, with support also available for other groups through the Broader Group and Legacy Spending. The consultation estimated that under this proposed structure, about two million households per year would be assisted.
	In the consultation, Government have proposed eligibility criteria for the Core Group of poorer pensioners:
	
		
			  Scheme year  Proposed eligibility criteria for consumers in the Core Group 
			 2011-12 In receipt of pension credit guarantee only (i.e. no savings credit)(1) 
			 2012-13 In receipt of pension credit guarantee credit only (i.e. no savings credit). 80 and over and in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit and savings credit. 
			 2013-14 In receipt of pension credit guarantee only (i.e. no savings credit). 75 and over and in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit and savings credit. 
			 2014-15 In receipt of pension credit guarantee credit only (i.e. no savings credit). And all in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit and savings credit. 
		
	
	The latest published records from the Department for Work and Pensions, available via the DWP website at:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
	indicate the following numbers of current claimants of pension credit guarantee only or pension credit guarantee and savings credit in:
	 (a) Glasgow North East: 6,940
	 (b) Glasgow city council: 37,950
	 (c) Scotland: 216,000
	 (d) England: 1.8 million
	 (e) Northern Ireland: the scheme will be GB only
	 (f) Wales: 132,000.
	As set out in the consultation, we estimate that the vast majority of pensioners eligible for the qualifying benefits for the Warm Home Discount Core Group would be in the lowest three income deciles. As set out in the consultation, all those benefiting under the Core Group would receive a rebate of £130 in years one and two, £135 in year three and £140 in year four.
	For each of the next four years numbers of eligible households, as broken down in  (a) to  (f) above, may change due to factors such as rising state pension age. Due to future uncertainty and currently available information, at present we are unable to estimate a geographical breakdown for the next four financial years.
	Additional households will receive support through the Broader and Legacy groups of the Warm Home Discount over the four years of the scheme. These households will be found by energy suppliers, subject to their eligibility being approved by Ofgem.
	As eligibility criteria for these groups is yet to be defined, we are unable to estimate the number of elderly people that will receive support over these years.
	(1) The minimum qualifying age for pension credit is based on, and will be rising in line with, women's state pension age. Under the legislation as it presently stands, women's state pension age is gradually increasing from 60 to 65 between April 2010 and April 2020.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of elderly people who will not be eligible for the warm home discount in  (a) Glasgow North East constituency,  (b) Glasgow,  (c) Scotland,  (d) England,  (e) Northern Ireland and  (f) Wales in each of the next four financial years.

Gregory Barker: A consultation on the Government's proposals for the Warm Home Discount, which included proposed eligibility arrangements, closed on 14 January. The responses to consultation are currently being considered and the Government will publish a response in due course.
	In this initial proposal, the focus of the scheme would be on providing support to older poorer pensioners through the Core Group, with support also available for other groups through the Broader Group and Legacy Spending.
	Additional households will receive support through the Broader and Legacy groups of the Warm Home Discount over the four years of the scheme. These households will be found by energy suppliers, subject to their eligibility being approved by Ofgem. As eligibility criteria for these groups is yet to be defined, we are unable to estimate the number of elderly people who will not be eligible for Warm Home Discount.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to require energy supply companies to include low-income families with children within the warm home discount.

Gregory Barker: A consultation on the Government's proposals for the Warm Home Discount, which included proposed eligibility arrangements, closed on 14 January. The responses to consultation are currently being considered and the Government will publish a response in due course.
	In this initial proposal, the focus of the scheme would be on providing support to older poorer pensioners through the Core Group, with support also available for other groups through the Broader Group and Legacy Spending.
	Additional households will receive support through the Broader and Legacy groups of the Warm Home Discount over the four years of the scheme. These households will be found by energy suppliers, subject to their eligibility being approved by Ofgem.

Energy: Prices

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many submissions were received during his Department's warm home discount consultation; how many of those submissions called for terminally ill people to be included in the core group to receive the warm home discount automatically; and when his Department plans to publish its response to the warm home discount consultation.

Gregory Barker: A response to the warm home discount consultation will be published in due course.
	1,800 responses were received which call for terminally ill people to be included in the core group. 47 responses were received to the consultation as a whole.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people in fuel poverty are eligible for social tariffs provided by energy supply companies.

Gregory Barker: Under the terms of the voluntary agreement, suppliers undertook to assist their vulnerable and fuel poor customers. Each supplier has discretion as to who they target assistance to, the eligibility criteria applied and the level of support given.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of people in fuel poverty who will be eligible for his Department's warm home discount in each of the next four financial years.

Gregory Barker: A consultation on the Government's proposals for the Warm Home Discount, which included proposed eligibility arrangements, closed on 14 January. The responses to consultation are currently being considered and the Government will publish a response in due course.
	As estimate of the number of households which would be lifted out of fuel poverty by Warm Home Discount is included in the Impact Assessment accompanying the consultation. This can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/warmhome/warmhome.aspx

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of families with children aged under 16 years in fuel poverty which will be eligible for his Department's warm home discount in each of the next four financial years.

Gregory Barker: A consultation on the Government's proposals for the warm home discount, which included proposed eligibility arrangements, closed on 14 January. The responses to consultation are currently being considered and the Government will publish a response in due course.
	In this initial proposal, the focus of the scheme would be on providing support to older poorer pensioners through the core group, with support also available for other groups through the Broader Group and Legacy Spending
	Additional households will receive support through the Broader and Legacy groups of the warm home discount over the four years of the scheme. These households will be found by energy suppliers, subject to their eligibility being approved by Ofgem. As eligibility criteria for these groups is yet to be defined, we are unable to estimate the number of families with children under 16 years who will be eligible for warm home discount.

Energy: Prices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions his Department has had with the six largest energy companies on levels of domestic energy bills.

Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers and officials meet with suppliers on a regular basis to discuss market issues. It is important that consumers have the lowest possible energy bills, consistent with the need to invest to reduce carbon emissions from energy and ensure security of supply.
	Ofgem therefore, monitors the market closely and reports quarterly on retail prices. Their latest report shows large increases in estimated supplier margins for the year ahead, largely due to recent price increases. We are disappointed on behalf of consumers by this development and welcome the announcement of Ofgem's review of the retail market. Ofgem will report on this review in March of this year. This announcement is available online at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/PressRel/Documents1/Retail%20Market%2026%20November.pdf

Fuel Poverty: Bexleyheath

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of households in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency who are living in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: In 2006, the latest year for which this information is available, there were around 3,200 fuel poor households in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency. This is equivalent to approximately 9% of all households in the constituency.

Solar Power

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2010,  Official Report, column 981W, on solar power, what possible approaches to setting the trigger for an early review of feed-in tariffs were considered.

Charles Hendry: At the stakeholder event referred to in my answer of 20 December 2010, consideration was given to a range of approaches to setting the trigger for an early review of the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme. Discussion centred around possible metrics for defining deployment, including spend, electricity generation and installed capacity, as well as the level of deployment to use. The starting point was the projections of FITs uptake that informed the impact assessment published prior to the start of the scheme.
	A range of views were also expressed about the concept of a trigger-based approach to reviewing FITs. Some participants suggested that, in the light of the spending review, there might be a case for starting the review rather than waiting for it to be triggered.

Warm Front Scheme

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the merits of including within the warm home discount a compulsory rebate by energy providers to families with children on household incomes below £16,190 per annum.

Gregory Barker: A consultation on the Government's proposals for the warm home discount, which included proposed eligibility arrangements, closed on 14 January. The responses to consultation are currently being considered and the Government will publish a response in due course.
	In this initial proposal, the focus of the scheme would be on providing support to older poorer pensioners through the core group, with support also available for other groups through the Broader Group and Legacy Spending.
	Additional households will receive support through the Broader and Legacy groups of the warm home discount over the four years of the scheme. These households will be found by energy suppliers, subject to their eligibility being approved by Ofgem.

Wind Power: Carbon Emissions

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his answer of 17 January 2011,  Official Report, column 482W, on wind power: carbon emissions, what the size was of the adjustment made to take account of intermittency on the efficiency of plant used for back-up during times that wind power was not available.

Charles Hendry: The Department's adjustment was one hundred thousand tonnes of C02, based on an initial analysis of the efficiencies of thermal power plant. This is less than 2% of the overall emissions saved in 2009.

Wind Power: Finance

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of subsidies for  (a) on-shore and  (b) off-shore wind energy providers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Charles Hendry: We are currently reviewing the level of support for all renewabies technologies, and will consult on any changes to renewabies obligation (RO) bands this summer. As part of that process, we have asked our consultants Arup and Ernst and Young to provide updated assumptions on potential deployment and costs for each renewable electricity technology.
	DECC calculations suggest the levels of wind needed to meet our 2020 renewable energy target imply a subsidy cost of around £5 billion in 2020 through the renewabies obligation and around £360 million through the climate change levy exemption (both figures in 2010 prices, undiscounted). Note that these figures represent the total spending. Analysis published in 2009 published lower subsidy cost figures based on the additional level of spending resulting from the increase in renewabies ambition, on a different price basis.

TREASURY

Bank Services

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of persons in  (a) Glasgow North East constituency,  (b) Glasgow,  (c) Scotland,  (d) England,  (e) Wales,  (f) Northern Ireland, and  (g) the UK who did not have a basic bank account in each of the last four years.

Mark Hoban: On 10 December 2010 the Government released the latest figures on the 'unbanked' drawn from the Family Resources Survey. The figures show that in 2008-09 1.54 million adults in the UK did not have access to a current or basic bank account. The Government have not broken these figures down by region.

Building and Mutual Societies

John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to support building societies and mutuals.

Mark Hoban: The Government are committed to promoting building societies and other financial mutuals, to help further their aim of increasing diversity in the provision of financial services. They are considering how to modify building society legislation to provide more flexibility in structure, and to support the position of societies' members in insolvency. The Government are also planning to update legislation in a number of other areas, including bringing Northern Ireland credit unions under the Financial Services Authority regulation, and introducing important deregulatory measures for industrial and provident societies and credit unions, through a legislative reform order.

Child Benefit

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanism he plans to put in place to identify households which will no longer be eligible for child benefit payments under his proposals for welfare reform where the claimant is not a higher rate taxpayer and their partner's income is unknown.

David Gauke: The change to child benefit announced at the spending review does not change the eligibility criteria for child benefit payments. Where a person is currently entitled to receive child benefit they will continue to be entitled to receive payments regardless of whether they or their partner is a higher rate taxpayer. In these circumstances, it is the responsibility of the higher rate taxpayer to notify HM Revenue and Customs that their household is in receipt of child benefit, which will then be recovered through the tax system.

Child Benefit

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a single parent living in a household with  (a) a parent and  (b) a child who is a higher rate taxpayer will be eligible for child benefit payments under his proposals for welfare reform.

David Gauke: Child benefit will be withdrawn from families where the claimant, or their partner (with whom they are living) is a higher rate taxpayer. As such, the income of any other child of the claimant or any other member of the household who is not the claimant or their partner would be irrelevant.

Child Care Tax Credit

Marcus Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the process for the distribution of the childcare element of tax credit to ensure that direct payment may be made to carers on whose behalf the element is claimed.

David Gauke: The purpose of the child care element of the working tax credit is to facilitate parental employment. Cash payments direct to parents provide them with the choice and flexibility that they need in order to work. The provision of child care is a commercial arrangement between a parent and the provider and the child care element is not claimed on behalf of child care providers.

Children: Day Care

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average  (a) cost of childcare for a low-paid worker and  (b) cost to the public purse of childcare provision for a low-paid worker in the last year for which figures are available.

David Gauke: I have made no estimate of the average cost of child care for a low paid worker. As at December 2010 the average cost to the public purse of child care provision provided through the child care element of working tax credits is £69.50 a week.
	In addition the Department of Education also funds 15 hours per week (for 38 weeks a year) of free early education for all three and four-year-olds. This is also being extended gradually to the most disadvantaged two-year-olds. Local authorities in England spent over £4 billion on provision for under fives last year, on the early education entitlement and reception classes in schools.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate HM Revenue and Customs made of the number of companies liable for corporation tax in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; how many such companies were sent a corporation tax return for an accounting period ending in each of those years; how many submitted the corporation tax return (i) within the required time limit and (ii) after the limit in each of those years; and how many were not sent a corporation tax return or a reminder to submit one in each of those years.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs sends a notice to file a company tax return to every company which it believes to be active, so with any possibility of having a corporation tax liability.
	A notice to file a return is for an accounting period of up to one year and is sent to a company in the month following the end of the period. The time limit for submitting the return is one year after the end of the period, but some returns are received after the time limit.
	HM Revenue and Customs sent the following number of notices to file in respect of accounting periods ending in the following years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2007-08 1,925,000 
			 2008-09 1,961,000 
			 2009-10 1,796,000 
		
	
	The figures include more than one notice for some companies, for example ones that are recently incorporated.
	As regards returns filed: Complete data for accounting periods ending in 2009-10 are not yet available. This is because the time limit for accounting periods ending in March 2010 is not until March 2011, so some returns for that year are not yet due. Some late returns for earlier years are also still arriving, so figures for 2008-09 and even 2007-08 are also subject to minor change.
	By the end of November 2010:
	1,390,000 returns had been filed within the time limit for 2007-08 liabilities and 184,000 returns had been filed after the limit;
	1,402,000 returns had been filed within the time limit for 2008-09 liabilities and 98,000 returns had been filed after the limit;
	1,162,000 returns had been filed within the time limit for 2009-10 liabilities and 21,000 returns had been filed after the limit.
	There is a significant balance of notices for each year which have not resulted in the delivery of a return. Where HMRC believes that a return is indeed outstanding, they make a determination of tax and pursue payment. The determination can be displaced only by delivery of a return. But in many more cases, information received since the issue of the notice has shown that no return is in fact required. Typically that will be the case where more accurate information about the true accounting periods of the company is received, or where HMRC learns that the company had gone into insolvent liquidation or ceased to trade.
	If a company has not submitted its return two months before the filing date a reminder is sent. It is not possible to isolate the number of return reminders as a single output type is used for pure return reminders for payment reminders and for combined return and payment reminders.

Departmental Furniture

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on furniture since May 2010.

Justine Greening: Spending on furniture and equipment for complete financial years is shown in Note 11 (Tangible fixed assets) in HM Treasury's Resource Accounts. For the period 1 June 2010 to 31 December 2010, no spending was incurred on furniture and equipment.

Departmental Manpower

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what new units and teams have been set up in his Department since May 2010; and what the  (a) name,  (b) purpose,  (c) number of staff and  (d) total annual costs is for each such unit or team.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury has established the following new teams and units since May 2010, in addition to those created from the renaming or merger of existing teams:
	Independent Commission on Equitable Life Payments
	Independent Commission on Banking
	Independent Public Service Pensions Commission
	Fair Pay Review Secretariat
	Office for Budget Responsibility
	Office of Budget Responsibility Design Team
	Office of Tax Simplification.
	HM Treasury staff allocated to these new units were redeployed from existing civil service posts. The coalition agreement and Budget 2010 (HC61) set out the context for the creation and purpose of each of these new units. HM Treasury published details of the resources allocated to each of its teams in its organisational structure charts on its website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
	in October 2010 and has committed to updating this information regularly.

Departmental Offices

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on redecorating ministerial offices since May 2010.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 July 2010,  Official Report, column 937W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Weaver Vale (Graham Evans).

Departmental Redundancy

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to a previous question answered on 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 147W, regarding severance payments to Ministers and special advisers. Nil expenditure has been made on redundancy costs to civil servants.

Employment: Barnsley

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the likely change in the number of  (a) public and  (b) private sector jobs in Barnsley East constituency in the period to 2015.

Danny Alexander: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was formed in May 2010 to make an independent assessment of the public finances and the economy.
	On 29 November 2010, the OBR released the official forecast for total employment and general government employment, updated for the spending review announcements.
	As the OBR sets out in paragraph 3.98, page 62 of its "November 2010 Economic and fiscal outlook" (Cm 7979), it expects total employment to rise by 1.1 million over the next five years, from 29.0 million in 2010 to 30.1 million in 2015. General government employment is projected to fall by just over 400,000 between 2010-11 and 2015-16, more than offset by a rise in market sector employment of around 1.5 million.
	The OBR has not published forecasts on a sub-national basis.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussion HM Revenue and Customs has had with the European Commission on the classification of duty on ready-to-drink beverages.

Justine Greening: holding answer 24 January 201 1
	HMRC have taken part in discussions and workshops with the European Commission regarding possible changes to Council Directive 92/83 on the harmonisation of the structures of excise duties on alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The Commission is seeking to update the directive to bring it into line with current commercial and tax practices. The classification of ready-to-drink beverages was part of these wider discussions.
	HMRC have also been in communication with the Commission regarding the interpretation of the directive in light of the judgment in the European Court of Justice case (C-1 50/08-Siebrand BV  v. Staatssecretaris van Financien) which sought to provide clarification in this area.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions has he had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effect of fuel duty on small business.

Justine Greening: Treasury Ministers routinely discuss a range of issues with Cabinet colleagues.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress his Department is making on the introduction of a rural fuel duty rebate in the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles and the Isles of Scilly; and if he will assess the merits of extending the rebate to the Isle of Wight.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 December 2010,  Official Report, column 1143W, to the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr MacNeil). The Government are considering the exact scope of the pilots and at present has announced its intention to include the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, and the Isles of Scilly.

Fuels: Prices

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on the development of a fuel duty stabiliser;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on the variation in the effects on different regions of fuel price increases; and whether he plans to bring forward proposals to address this matter.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 November 2010,  Official Report, column 665W, to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith). Treasury Ministers routinely discuss matters of mutual interest with members of the devolved Administrations.

Income Tax

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in the number of households with children and one or more individuals paying income tax at the higher rate in April 2011.

David Gauke: In 2011-12 there is estimated to be around 160,000 more households with children aged 19 or younger containing one or more individuals paying income tax at the higher rate than in 2010-11. These households are all within the top 20% of household incomes.

Stamp Duties

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an estimate of the effect on Exchequer receipts from stamp duty of reductions in property prices attributable to the construction of High Speed Two.

David Gauke: No such estimate has been made at this time.

Tax Allowances: Cycling

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) employers and  (b) employees have participated in the cycle-to-work scheme in the months August to December in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: This information is not collected by Government.
	Employers are not required to report to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs that they offer a cycle to work scheme to their employees, or the level of uptake where it is offered.

WALES

Constituencies

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what dates and at what locations she has met Cabinet colleagues to discuss proposed changes to the number of parliamentary constituencies in Wales.

David Jones: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on issues affecting Wales, including the Government's plans for constitutional reform.

Courts: Closures

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many written representations she has received on the issue of court closures in Wales.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales has received three written representations on the issue of court closures in Wales.

Courts: Closures

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the issue of proposed court closures in Wales.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales and I have met with the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr Djanogly) to discuss the proposed court closures in Wales and discussions are ongoing.

Departmental Communication

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures she has undertaken to reduce jargon and promote plain English in Departmental communications.

David Jones: My Department attaches great importance to communicating not only in plain English but plain Welsh as well. All staff are required to have effective communication skills, and support is available to help them achieve the standards we expect.

Departmental Manpower

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many press officers her Department employs  (a) in London and  (b) in Cardiff; and how many press officers it employed in each location in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

David Jones: The Wales Office currently has three press officer posts, the same number as in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10.
	Press Office staff are required to divide their working time between Wales and London depending on the business of the week.

Departmental Manpower

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many members of staff her Department employs; and how many it employed in 2009.

David Jones: As at 1 January 2011 the Wales Office employs 56 members of staff. On 1 January 2009 it employed 59 members of staff.

Official Visits

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  on how many occasions she has visited Ceredigion constituency on official business since her appointment;
	(2)  what plans she has to visit Montgomeryshire constituency on official business in the next six months;
	(3)  on how many occasions she has visited Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in an official capacity since her appointment.

Cheryl Gillan: I have yet to visit Ceredigion, Montgomeryshire or Dwyfor Meirionnydd in an official capacity. However I intend to carry out numerous ministerial visits across Wales in the coming months.

River Severn: Tidal Power

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what dates and at what locations she has held meetings to discuss the Severn Barrage scheme since her appointment.

David Jones: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues, Welsh Assembly Government Ministers and other stakeholders on future energy production including the Severn Barrage.
	In October 2010, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change published the Severn Tidal Power feasibility study which clearly shows that there is no strategic case for a scheme for generating energy in the Severn estuary at this time. It is our opinion that other low carbon options represent a better deal for industry and consumers.

S4C

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many written representations she has received on the future of S4C.

Cheryl Gillan: I have received 15 direct written representations, together with five letters that were copied to me regarding the future of S4C from members of the public, hon. Members, Assembly Members and peers.
	I have also had numerous meetings relating to the future of S4C with stakeholders including several meetings with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister.

South Wales Railway Line: Electrification

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with representatives of the Welsh Assembly Government on the electrification of the South Wales main line;
	(2)  on how many occasions she has met with Cabinet colleagues to discuss the issue of the electrification of the South Wales main line railway line.

Cheryl Gillan: I have regular meetings with the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister to discuss a range of issues affecting Wales, including the electrification of the South Wales main line.
	I also have had regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues regarding the electrification of the South Wales main line and these discussions are ongoing.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Tibet: Human Rights

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he raised the issue of human rights in Tibet during the recent visit of the Chinese Vice-Premier.

Nicholas Clegg: In my meeting with Vice-Premier Li, I raised the issue of human rights in Tibet.

JUSTICE

Courts: Closures

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost, in each cost category, of closing each courthouse scheduled for closure under his proposals.

Jonathan Djanogly: Discussions are currently ongoing with landlords, construction and removal firms. Releasing details of the estimated costs for closing each courthouse would adversely impact on these discussions.

Courts: Closures

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of staff  (a) in each courthouse to be closed and  (b) in total who will be made redundant under his proposals for courthouse closures.

Jonathan Djanogly: Following the decisions announced on 14 December, HMCS has commenced an internal consultation on staff impacts using the management of organisational change framework (MOCF) to look at staff impacts across the Court Estate Reform Programme. During this period HMCS will conduct discussion with the Department trade union side and with staff (on a one-to-one basis) to consider how the changes will effect them. Only after these discussions take place will we be in a position to know the impact on staff.
	After the MOCF consultation has concluded, HMCS will implement a phased approach to closures from April 2011.

Courts: Closures

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) people,  (b) disabled people and  (c) people of pensionable age in (i) Wales, (ii) Greater Manchester, (iii) the Humber and South Yorkshire, (iv) Kent, Surrey and Sussex, (v) London, (vi) Staffordshire and West Mercia, (vii) Warwickshire and the West Midlands, (viii) Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, (ix) Cheshire and Merseyside, (x) Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and the Thames Valley, (xi) Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria, (xii) Cumbria and Lancashire, (xiii) Devon and Cornwall, Avon and Somerset and Gloucestershire; (xiv) Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and Wiltshire and (xv) the East Midlands who will live further than one public transport commute from their local court following implementation of his proposals for courthouse closures.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation response documents detail the percentage of the population in each area estimated to be within a 60 minute public transport commute of their local court, before and after closures. Due to the size and complexity of the data it would be necessary to analyse in order to provide estimates of the impact on the public transport commute of individual groups of people, such estimates have not been made.
	The equality impact assessments (EIAs) that accompany each of the 16 HMCS area consultation responses papers identify the potential impacts of the court estate reform programme on different communities and groups of people.

Courts: Closures

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the disposal or alternative use of each court building in Wales identified for closure under his proposals of 14 December 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: HMCS is currently conducting detailed planning on the implementation of the closures that I announced on 14 December 2010.
	While buildings are being decommissioned, HMCS's professional estate advisors will provide a full marketing strategy for those properties to be disposed of. Following instruction they will arrange marketing with advertisements in local journals and liaison with local authorities regarding potential future use. HMCS will have regard to HM Treasury guidelines, which state that the Department is obliged to obtain the best possible price in disposing of properties.

Courts: Closures

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many representations he received in respect of each proposed court closure  (a) before and  (b) after the close of the consultation; and how many of these (i) supported, (ii) opposed and (iii) were neutral on the court closure in each case.

Jonathan Djanogly: Full details of the responses to consultation on each court are available in the consultation response papers, which can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultations-closed-with-response.htm
	In total over 2,500 responses were received expressing views relating to proposals on individual courts, groups of proposals within an area or proposals in relation to courts across the whole of England and Wales.

Departmental Communication

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what measures he has undertaken to reduce jargon and promote plain English in departmental communications.

Jonathan Djanogly: Communications provide an advisory and editing role in simplifying language for internal and external audiences. The guidance and advice on promoting use of plain English are available to staff on the internal website.
	In 2010 the following measures were undertaken to reduce jargon in the departmental communications:
	Internal workshops for IT and finance professionals that included signposting participants to the campaign for Plain English website.
	Internal 'Writing for web' workshops are regularly run for the Ministry's HQ staff.
	MoJ content on Directgov has been developed with the needs of the user in mind and is written for a readership age of nine years old.
	Sentencing Council and Youth Justice Board and selected public information on the Ministry of Justice's website are presented in simplified versions.
	Juror, victims and witnesses guides and DVDs are specifically written so that they are clear and easy to understand.
	Your Justice Your World was developed to enable educators to provide information to young people about justice in a clear and straightforward way.

Departmental Conferences

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on conferences since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice is a large Department employing over 80,000 people in over 800 locations including courts, prisons and local offices.
	The Ministry of Justice (including MoJ headquarters, Her Majesty's Courts Service, Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) has spent £2.1 million on events and conferences between May 2010 and December 2010.
	It is not possible to break this amount down to purely conferences without incurring disproportionate costs by examining each individual transaction. Many of these events will have been related to staff and judicial training, policy changes, question and answer sessions with senior staff about the impact of the spending review, as well as exchange of best practice in different fields.

Departmental Consultants

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on consultants since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The amount MoJ Core Department and its Agencies spent on consultancy between May to December 2010 was £7 million.
	This figure includes data for Ministry of Justice HQ and the executive agencies: The National Offender Management Service; The Office of the Public Guardian; HM Courts Service; and The Tribunals Service.
	In specific circumstances consultancy support offers MoJ a fast and flexible way of obtaining skills and experience that are not available in house. All contracts, in such cases, are let with best value for money in mind and follow established OGC frameworks. They are only used when there is a compelling business need to do so; they are used to provide specialist skills and expertise for a limited period of time where in-house skills are not available.
	This figure is not yet audited and may be subject to change following audit. Some of this total may be for non-consultancy work carried out by suppliers who also supplied consultancy services.

Departmental Furniture

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on furniture since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice HQ (MoJ) and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) have spent £2,496,596 on furniture since May 2010. MoJ and NOMS share a procurement department so their total spend is produced as a single figure. As a part of the estates rationalisation project NOMS HQ moved from two buildings; Cleland house and Abell house, to one building; Clive house, during the summer of 2010. Some of the spend during this period was on furniture for the new HQ building, where some of the furniture from older buildings couldn't be reused due to wear and tear. The estates rationalisation programme is reducing the London estate from 18 buildings to four. This is anticipated to save £41 million by 2015.
	The Tribunals Service spent £32,583 on furniture between May and December 2010.
	The Office of the Public Guardian has spent £10,000 on furniture since May 2010.
	HM Courts Service has spent £1,059,353 on furniture since May 2010.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The staff numbers provided add together civil servants from the following:
	Ministry of Justice HQ;
	NOMS Agency;
	HMCS;
	Tribunals;
	Office of the Parent Guardian;
	Wales Office; and
	Scotland Office.
	Since May 2010 the Ministry of Justice has appointed 1,468 women and 1,475 men.
	
		
			   Headcount  Full-time equivalent 
			 Male 1,475 1,435.69 
			 Female 1,468 1,392.04 
			 Total 2,943 2,827.73 
			  Source: MoJ, NOMS Agency and Scottish Government HR systems.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Jonathan Djanogly: Details of public appointments made by, or on behalf of, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), have been placed in the Libraries of the House. This includes appointments and reappointments regulated and not regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). This information is not held centrally, but details of key public appointments made since May 2010 is published in individual press releases. These should include information on remuneration. Press releases are available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/

Departmental Temporary Employment

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials of his Department were employed on fixed-term contracts in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the job title was of each such appointment.

Jonathan Djanogly: The fixed-term contract numbers provided add together civil servants from the following: Ministry of Justice HQ, NOMS Agency, HMCS, Tribunals, Office of the Public Guardian, Wales Office and Scotland Office. In order to give a consistent view across the Ministry in respect of job titles, the figures are shown separately for MoJ and NOMS Agency due to the two HR systems in use.
	As at 31 December 2010 there were 1,981 (FTE: 1,894.58) fixed-term contractor's employed by the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			  Ministry of Justice-FTC 
			  Grade  FTC headcount  FTC fixed-term equivalent 
			 Administrative assistant 312 271.06 
			 Administrative officer 851 826.61 
			 Team leader/supervisor 76 73.42 
			 Team manager 40 38.90 
			 Senior manager 23 21.98 
			 Head of section 46 45.67 
			 Fast streamer 0 0.00 
			 Senior civil servant 8 8.00 
			 Total 1,356 1,285.63 
			  Source: MoJ HR Oracle Database, MoJ staff on the NOMS Agency HR Oracle Database and Scotland Office staff on the Scottish Government HR Database 
		
	
	
		
			  NOMS Agency-FTC as at 31 December 2010 
			  Grade  FTC headcount  FTC fixed-term equivalent 
			 Administrative assistant 18 16.14 
			 Administrative officer 75 67.01 
			 Executive officer 4 4.00 
			 Industrial 18 18.00 
			 Manager E 8 8.00 
			 Manager F 4 1.86 
			 Manager G 7 7.00 
			 Nursing grades 2 1.35 
			 Operational support grade 463 462.00 
			 Professional and technical officer 1 0.43 
			 Psychological assistant 7 7.00 
			 Senior manager B 2 1.63 
			 Senior manager C 1 1.00 
			 Senior manager D 5 5.00 
			 Substance misuse worker 1 1.00 
			 Support band 1 1 0.52 
			 Support band 2 5 4.00 
			 Trainee psychologist 3 3.00 
			 Total 625 608.95 
			  Source: NOMS Agency HR Oracle Database

Domestic Violence

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what legal support is available for victims of domestic violence who have more than £8,000 of equity in their home.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission has the power to waive all the civil legal aid financial eligibility limits for legal representation for the victims of domestic violence. The waiver applies to any application for legal representation in proceedings where a client either seeks an injunction or other order for protection from harm; or for a breach of that order.

HM Courts Service: Manpower

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent staff are employed at each courthouse in Wales identified for closure under his proposals of 14 December 2010; and how many such staff will be transferred.

Jonathan Djanogly: The numbers of full-time equivalent staff at each closing court in Wales as at 30 December 2010 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   FTE 
			  Magistrates court name:  
			 Aberdare magistrates court 9.41 
			 Abertillery magistrates court 0.27 
			 Ammanford magistrates court 0 
			 Barry magistrates court 7.54 
			 Cardigan magistrates court 0 
			 Chepstow magistrates court 0 
			 Denbigh magistrates court 29.54 
			 Flint magistrates court 0 
			 Llandovery magistrates court 0 
			 Llangefni magistrates court 0 
			 Llwynypia magistrates court 0 
			 Pwllheli magistrates court 0 
			  County court name:  
			 Aberdare county court 0.8 
			 Chepstow county court 0 
			 Pontypool county court 1 
			 Rhyl county court 15.87 
			   
			 Total 64.43 
			  Note: The information provided is correct as at 30 December 2010.  Source: Ministry of Justice HR Directorate database 
		
	
	It is not yet possible to say how many staff will be transferred to other courts. Following the decisions announced on 14 December, HMCS has commenced an internal consultation on staff impacts using the Management of Organisational Change Framework (MOCF) to look at staff impacts across the Court Estate Reform programme. During this period, HMCS will conduct discussion with the Department Trade Union Side and with staff (on a one-to-one basis) to consider how the changes will effect them. Only after these discussions take place will we be in a position to know the impact on staff.
	After the MOCF consultation has concluded, HMCS will implement a phased approach to closures from April 2011.

Legal Aid

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his Department's cumulative equalities impact assessment, what steps he plans to take to ensure that  (a) women,  (b) disabled and  (c) black and minority ethnic people are not disproportionately affected by reductions in the legal aid budget.

Jonathan Djanogly: The initial cumulative equalities impact assessment (EIA) that was published alongside the consultation 'Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales' identifies the potential for some of the civil legal aid proposals to disproportionately affect women, disabled people and Black, Asian, and minority ethnic people. This appears to be primarily a reflection of the composition of the client base of civil legal aid recipients. People from these groups are overrepresented among recipients of civil legal aid services-because of this any changes to the system have the potential to affect them more.
	The EIA also explains the Government's initial view that any such disadvantage would be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim and therefore justified for reasons which are set out for each of the proposals. Legal aid must make a substantial contribution to necessary reductions in the budget of the Ministry of Justice. Our proposals seek to deliver these savings in a fair, balanced and sustainable way, targeting legal aid on those who need it most, for the most serious cases in which legal advice or representation is justified.
	One of the purposes of publishing the initial EIA is to allow respondents to the consultation to comment on our assessment of the potential impact of the proposals. We will take this feedback into account in finalising our proposals and making decisions on the final proposals for implementation. We will also complete a final EIA, updating the analysis we have already published and incorporating evidence on the impact on different groups submitted during the consultation. This will be published alongside the Government's response to the consultation.

Legal Services Commission

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much funding the Legal Services Commission provided from the Legal Aid budget for legal help and representation relating to pursuing actions for clinical negligence in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much funding the Legal Services Commission provided from the Legal Aid budget for legal help and representation relating to consumer law and general contract issues in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how much funding the Legal Services Commission provided from the Legal Aid budget for legal help and representation relating to education law issues in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how much funding the Legal Services Commission provided from the Legal Aid budget for legal help and representation relating to the provision of welfare benefits in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Category of law  Civil representation( 1)  Legal help  Total 
			 Clinical negligence 27.0 0.8 27.8 
			 Consumer law and general contract issues 2.4 0.5 2.9 
			 Education 1.4 2.0 3.4 
			 Welfare Benefits 0.1 24.7 24.8 
			 (1) Civil representation is work funded under a legal aid certificate. However, a case may settle outside of court before the need for representation in court.

Legal Services Commission

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much funding the Legal Services Commission provided from the Legal Aid budget for legal help and representation in housing matters in cases involving homelessness and housing disrepair (non-damages) in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much funding the Legal Services Commission provided from the legal aid budget for legal help and representation in housing matters other than cases involving homelessness and housing disrepair (non-damages) in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The following table shows the expenditure on housing cases in 2008-09 for legal help and representation.
	Other legal help includes payments made to telephone advice services, community legal advice centres. It is not, however, possible to provide a breakdown of total spend within this category.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Representation  Legal help  Other legal help 
			 Homelessness 2.6 5.9 n/a 
			 Housing disrepair 0.4 1.8 n/a 
			 Other 26.7 14.7 n/a 
			 Total 29.8 22.4 6.9

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 11 November 2010 in regard to Israr Hussain Malik.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), will reply shortly. I apologise for the delay in responding.

Offenders: Mental Health

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanism his Department has put in place to ensure that GPs work with public protection agencies in the care of offenders with mental health disorders; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Under section 325 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, every health authority or strategic health authority has a duty to co-operate with the "responsible authorities" charged with assessing and managing the risk of harm presented by sexual, violent and other high risk offenders, including those with mental health problems. The responsible authorities for any area are the chief officer of police, the probation trust and the Minister of the Crown exercising functions in relation to prisons, acting jointly. Responsible authorities and agencies with a duty to co-operate with the responsible authorities are required to draw up a memorandum of understanding, setting out the ways in which they are to co-operate in the management of relevant offenders. The role of GPs in this process and the care of their patients should be covered by the relevant health authority contribution to the memorandum.

Prison Service: Rehabilitation

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Prison Officers Association on the role of prison officers in the rehabilitation of offenders.

Crispin Blunt: A meeting with the POA to discuss the Rehabilitation Revolution Green Paper took place on 24 November 2010. There have been no further ministerial meetings with the POA that have been dedicated to discussing the role of prison officers in the rehabilitation of offenders.

Prisoners

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the proportion of prisoners who had no fixed address when they  (a) entered custody and  (b) left custody in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: Accommodation matters are managed locally, and the proportion of prisoners who enter and leave custody with no fixed address is not collected centrally.
	The Ministry of Justice's Compendium of Reoffending Statistics and Analysis which was published 4 November 2010 includes findings from 'Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction', a cohort survey of 3,849 prisoners sentenced in 2005-06 and serving between one month and four years. 15% of prisoners surveyed reported having been homeless prior to custody.

Prisoners: Mental Health

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the recent conclusions made by the Chief Inspector of Prisons on the mental health of prisoners in HM Prison Brixton.

Crispin Blunt: The Inspectorate of Prisons visited HMP Brixton between 1 and 10 December. The Inspectorate has not yet submitted the draft report of that inspection. Upon receipt of the report the National Offender Management Service will respond to all the recommendations, including any relating to mental health.

Re-offenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect on re-offending rates of the frequency of visits to prison inmates.

Crispin Blunt: Surveys of prisoners shortly before release in 2001, 2003, and 2004 showed that 52% of prisoners who were visited by a partner or family member in prison re-offended compared with 70% of those who were not visited by a partner or family member. However, it is not clear if the prison visits caused the reduction in re-offending directly, or whether they are indicators of other important factors, such as strength of familial relationships and community ties.

Senior Civil Servants

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what senior civil service staff moves there have been in his Department since May 2010; and what the  (a) name and  (b) salary is of each person (i) moving posts within and (ii) leaving his Department.

Jonathan Djanogly: Since May 2010, six senior civil servants have moved posts within the Ministry of Justice, and 34 have left. Individual names and salaries cannot be disclosed, but the following table shows the number of staff involved whose salary (either current or at the point of departure) falls within each bracket of £20,000:
	
		
			  Salary range  Total 
			 £60,000-£79,999 17 
			 £80,000-£99,999 13 
			 £100,000-£119,999 5 
			 £120,000-£139,999 4 
			 £140,000-£159,999 0 
			 £160,000-£179,999 1 
			 Total 40

Senior Civil Servants

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what senior civil service staff exits from his Department there have been since May 2010; and what  (a) contractual and  (b) non-contractual payments have been made as part of such exits.

Jonathan Djanogly: There have been 34 senior civil service staff exits from the Ministry of Justice since May 2010. A total of £671,573 contractual payments and £260,749 non-contractual payments have been made in relation to these exits.

Sentencing

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners serving sentences of less than 12 months have been convicted of  (a) violence against the person offences,  (b) sexual offences,  (c) burglary,  (d) robbery and  (e) drug offences on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: From the most recent available data, 31 December 2010, the number of prisoners serving sentences of less than 12 months was  (a) 1,551 for violence against the person offences,  (b) 229 for sexual offences,  (c) 461 for burglary,  (d) 113 for robbery and  (e) 202 for drug offences.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Units and Teams

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) units and  (b) teams have been set up in his Department since May 2010; and what the (i) name, (ii) purpose, (iii) number of staff and (iv) annual running costs are for each such unit or team.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice is currently restructuring, prioritising front line delivery, in order to ensure that it provides effective and efficient front line services. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the HM Courts Service, the Tribunals Service, the National Offender Management Service, the Office of the Public Guardian and a number of other arm's length bodies, as well as corporate and policy functions in its headquarters.
	To answer the question, each member of the senior civil service across the Department's range of business would need to separately indentify the required information and this would then have to be centrally collated. This would incur disproportionate cost to the Department.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation: Greater London

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which five towns accommodated the largest number of bed and breakfast placements that had been funded by London borough councils in the last 13 years for each such council.

Andrew Stunell: Information is not held centrally on the location of bed and breakfast placements funded by local authorities.
	Data are collected on the number of households in bed and breakfast style temporary accommodation arranged under homelessness legislation. National figures for the past 13 years can be found in table 6 of the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1791620.xls
	Information about local authorities' discharge of their duties under homelessness legislation is collected on quarterly PIE returns. Summary information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Releases on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library of the House and via the DCLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/

Bus Services: Concessions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what factors informed his Department's decision to reduce the formula grant for concessionary bus travel for  (a) Torbay council and  (b) Devon county council for financial year 2011-12.

Bob Neill: Formula grant is an unhypothecated block grant i.e. authorities are free to spend it on any service. For this reason, and due to the method of calculating formula grant, particularly floor damping, it is not possible to say how much grant has been provided for any particular service, including concessionary travel.

Citizen Engagement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to encourage citizen engagement since May 2010.

Andrew Stunell: The Government are committed to building a big society in which all citizens have more say in the future of their community.
	Since May the Department for Communities and Local Government has introduced new legislation and removed bureaucracy to achieve this ambition.
	The Localism Bill contains a wide range of measures to devolve more powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities greater control over local decisions. It encourages citizen engagement by giving local people more power over local government and over how public money is spent in their area, and ensures that councillors are more directly accountable to them; and it enables local people to drive real change, encouraging them to get actively involved in planning, housing and other local services.
	This is supported by our drive for greater transparency on how public money is spent, so local people have the information they need to hold Government to account. We have also removed needless bureaucracy such as comprehensive area assessments and centrally-imposed targets to free councils to serve their communities better.

Community Development

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with the Local Government Association Selector Panel on the proposals by councils to be implemented under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007; and what the outcomes were of those meetings.

Greg Clark: I held several conversations with Councillor Keith Mitchell in his capacity as Chair of the Selector Panel during the course of 2010. On 23 November 2010, I met Councillor Mitchell and representatives of the Selector Panel to discuss proposals submitted under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.
	Officials have also regularly discussed proposals with their counterparts from the Local Government Association. These constructive discussions have been helpful and have influenced the Secretary of State's decisions, published on 15 December 2010.
	On 15 December 2010, I issued a second invitation to local authorities to consult people and try to reach agreement with them about how to improve their local area. Local authorities can submit proposals through the new barrier-busting portal at:
	http://barrierbusting.communities.gov.uk
	where progress on their consideration will be made transparent.

Community Development

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable he has set for the implementation of shortlisted proposals for action under the provisions of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.

Greg Clark: The Secretary of State has detailed the actions he will take with a view to implementing, or implementing in part, proposals submitted under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007, and when these will take place, in 'Sustainable Communities Act 2007: Decisions on proposals submitted following the 2008 invitation', published on 15 December 2010.
	The Secretary of State will publish a progress report on any actions not completed by 15 December 2011.

Community Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures are in place to spread best practice in the development of social capital within communities.

Andrew Stunell: The Government are committed to giving people and front line professionals new rights and greater freedoms to shape their community by opening up public services to encourage more innovation, diversity and responsiveness. We also recognise that not all communities currently have the same level of capacity to take on new rights and responsibilities.
	Any community group or organisation involved in developing local initiatives which rely on the commitment, ideas and energy of its members are encouraged to promote best practice and share learning.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government will publish case studies, including the work of the big society vanguards, in due course. Furthermore, the big society awards, launched by the Prime Minister on 22 November, will recognise outstanding examples of social capital in action across the country.
	We continue to work closely with the Local Government Association to encourage them to promote best practice among their members.

Departmental Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on the sale of advertising space on its website.

Bob Neill: The Department does not sell advertising space on its corporate website.

Departmental Legal Costs

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2010,  Official Report, column 809W, on departmental legal opinion, how much of the £430,804 spent by his Department on external legal fees in November 2010 is attributable to legal issues initiated under the previous administration.

Bob Neill: holding answer 21 December 2010
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	To place this in context, in relation to litigation, there are around 220 to 240 open cases at any one time with around 40 to 60 new cases entered and around the same number closed over a period of 12 months.

Housing

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the level of single occupancy residency is in  (a) England,  (b) the North East and  (c) Easington constituency.

Andrew Stunell: An estimated 29% of households in England and 34% of households in the north-east were single person households in 2008-09. These estimates are based on data from the English Housing Survey. Estimates of the proportion of single person households at constituency level are not possible using survey data.
	Based on 2001 census data, the proportion of single person households in England in 2001 was 30%; the proportion in the north-east was 31%; and the proportion in the Easington constituency (2010 boundary) was 28%.

Housing Associations: Pensions

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of housing associations which offer final salary pension schemes; and if he will estimate the deficits on the funds of such schemes  (a) for each association and  (b) in total.

Andrew Stunell: This information is not held by the Department or by the regulator of social housing. Individual housing associations are required to publish details of their pension schemes in their annual audited accounts, governed by a reporting standard set by the Accounting Standards Board.

Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Homes and Community Agency has allocated to Accent Nene Housing Society for  (a) social rented housing and  (b) intermediate housing in Peterborough in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: The Homes and Communities Agency has allocated a total of £948,000 in 2010-11 for schemes being developed by Accent Nene in Peterborough. Of these funds £752,000 is for social rented housing and £196,000 is for affordable home ownership.
	For existing commitments through the National Affordable Housing Programme there is forecast expenditure of £474,000 in 2012-13 for Accent Nene in Peterborough including £98,000 for affordable home ownership. New allocations for 2011-12 and 2012-13 will be made later in the year following the commencement of the new Affordable Homes Programme from April 2011.

Landlord and Tenant

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenants of  (a) social landlords and  (b) private landlords are resident in Liverpool, West Derby constituency.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 21 January 2011
	Information is available on the number of households rather than the number of tenants. The number of households in each constituency which were  (a) rented from the council,  (b) other social rented and  (c) private rented or living rent free, is available from the Census 2001. More recent information is not available.
	
		
			  Number of occupied households Liverpool, West Derby 
			   2001 
			 Rented from council 9,989 
			 Other social rented 2,703 
			 Private rented or living rent free 4,072 
			  Notes: 1. The terms used to describe tenure are defined as: Other social rented includes rented from Registered Social Landlord, Housing association, Housing Co-operative and Charitable Trust. Private rented: renting from a private landlord or letting agency, employer of a household member, or relative or friend of a household member or other person. 2. 'Living rent free' could include households that are living in accommodation other than private rented. 3. In general, a household's accommodation is defined as an unshared dwelling if all the rooms are behind a door that only that household can use.  Source: Census 2001 
		
	
	Data on the number of dwellings owned by (a) local authorities, (b) registered social landlords and (c) in the private sector (rather than by private landlords), are available by local authority area as at 1 April 2010, including Liverpool, on the DCLG website in live table 100:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1783239.xls

Local Government Executive

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have indicated to his Department that they plan to move to committee-style governance arrangements after the enactment of the Localism Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: Brighton and Hove city council has indicated to my Department that they plan to move to committee-style governance arrangements after the enactment of the Localism Bill. We would expect more councils to consider the merits of the greater local choice on governance arrangements as the Localism Bill progresses through its legislative stages.

Local Government: Aarhus Convention

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely role of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention in planning applications and decisions following enactment of the Localism Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: holding answer 17 January 2011
	In December 2010 the Government submitted the United Kingdom's National Implementation Report under the Aarhus Convention to the Commission Secretariat. This set out the legislative, regulatory and other measures taken to implement the Convention. The Government consulted on this Report from 15 October to 17 November 2010.
	Public participation in plan making and the right to make representations on individual planning applications are well established traditions in the UK and enshrined in planning law.
	A firm commitment to promote democratic and local control is at the heart of our planning reforms as set out in the Localism Bill. Crucially, we will deliver a fundamental power shift by giving communities the right to develop neighbourhood plans and real power to shape, drive and permit development through Neighbourhood Development Orders, and we will require large developers to consult with communities prior to submitting planning applications.

Local Government: Petitions

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of the local authority petition system after the enactment of the Localism Bill.

Greg Clark: Local authorities in England are currently required to have an overly prescriptive scheme in place for dealing with petitions from local people. We plan to repeal the petitions duty through the Localism Bill.
	Prior to the imposition of the statutory duty in June 2010, councils up and down the land regularly and properly considered petitions from local residents. The new statutory duty just added unnecessary bureaucracy to the process.
	Following enactment of the Localism Bill people will continue to submit petitions and their local authorities will continue to deal with the issues raised as they consider appropriate.

Local Government: Petitions

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many petitions to local authorities were made in each local authority area in  (a) 2009 and  (b) 2010.

Andrew Stunell: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Local authorities are not required to provide central Government with data on the number of petitions they have received.

Local Government: Referendums

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who will be responsible for the cost of holding local referendums under the provisions of the Localism Bill.

Greg Clark: Local authorities will be responsible for the cost of holding local referendums on local issues. The Government are committed to ensuring that additional burdens on local authorities are funded in accordance with the new burdens doctrine.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 29 November 2010 in regard to Mr F O'Flynn.

Grant Shapps: A reply was sent on 21 January 2011.

Non-domestic Rates

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what consultation he plans to carry out as part of his review of business rates on  (a) equalisation,  (b) minimising the adverse effects in deprived areas and  (c) the need to put in place appropriate support mechanisms;
	(2)  what the terms of reference are for the review of business rates which he is chairing;
	(3)  what objectives he has set for the review of business rates which he is chairing.

Bob Neill: The Local Growth White Paper "Local Growth: realising every place's potential" confirmed that the local government resource review would consider proposals to allow local authorities to retain locally-raised business rates. The review will commence in January and develop proposals by July 2011. The Secretary of State will make an announcement shortly about the review and its terms of reference.

Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the likely level of savings which will accrue from ending empty property business rate relief on all buildings with a rateable value higher than £2,600 from 1 April 2011.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement of 13 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 61-62WS.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2010,  Official Report, column 480W, on planning permission: appeals, whether he plans to reform the right of appeal for  (a) applicants and  (b) opponents; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: The Government's reforms to the planning system as set out in the Localism Bill do not contain proposals to reform the right of appeal.

Planning: Gateshead

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of implementing his proposals in the Localism Bill for individual neighbourhood plans in respect of Gateshead local authority area.

Greg Clark: We have made no separate assessment of the cost to the public purse of implementing neighbourhood plans in the Gateshead local authority area specifically. We will be publishing an Impact Assessment on our Neighbourhood Plan proposals in due course which will outline how the changes will increase sustainable development and deliver monetised benefits to local authorities and developers.

Voluntary Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number and proportion of  (a) young people and  (b) pensioners involved in volunteering in each year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the level of volunteering amongst unemployed people in each year for which data is available;
	(3)  what information his Department holds on levels of volunteering in each  (a) local authority and  (b) socio-economic group.

Andrew Stunell: Data from the Citizenship Survey provide the percentage of young people (aged 16 to 25 years), retired people and unemployed people who participated in regular (at least once a month) formal and informal volunteering in England, plus a breakdown by socio-economic group. The table also provides estimates of the number of young people who participated in these activities. Estimates on the number of retired people participating in volunteering cannot be calculated because population estimates do not provide relevant numbers.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of young people (aged 16-25) participating in formal and informal volunteering (at least once a month) in England, by year 
			   Formal volunteering  Informal volunteering 
			   Percentage( 1)  Estimated number (thousand)( 3)  Percentage( 2)  Estimated number (thousand)( 3) 
			 2003 24 1,527 44 2,758 
			 2005 28 1,848 46 3,051 
			 2007-08 23 1,582 41 2,810 
			 2008-09 24 1,644 38 2,662 
			 2009-10 23 1,568 32 2,248 
			 (1) None of the year-on-year changes for formal volunteering are statistically significant for young people. (2) The only year on year statistically significant change for informal volunteering is from 2008-09 to 2009-10 for young people, where a decrease was found (38% to 32%). (3) Estimated numbers are calculated by applying proportions from the Citizenship Survey to the Office of National Statistics Mid-Year Population Estimates for young people (aged 16-25). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of pensioners participating in formal and informal volunteering (at least once a month) in England, by year 
			  Percentage 
			   Pensioners 
			   Formal volunteering( 1)  Informal volunteering( 2) 
			 2003 27 36 
			 2005 27 34 
			 2007-08 28 33 
			 2008-09 27 36 
			 2009-10 25 29 
			 (1) None of the year-on-year changes for formal volunteering are statistically significant for retired people. (2) Year on year significant changes for informal volunteering were from 2007-08 to 2008-09 (an increase from 33% to 36%) and 2008-09 to 2009-10 (a decrease from 36% to 29%--though this change may, in part, reflect a change in the way the question was asked in 2009-10), for retired people. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Proportion of unemployed people participating in formal and informal volunteering (at least once a month) in England, by year 
			  Percentage 
			   Unemployed people( 1) 
			   Formal volunteering( 2)  Informal volunteering( 2) 
			 2003 25 43 
			 2005 32 39 
			 2007-08 23 40 
			 2008-09 21 41 
			 2009-10 24 32 
			 (1) Unemployed people are defined as out of paid work but looking for employment (in the four weeks before interview). (2) None of the year-on-year changes for unemployed people is statistically significant-there are low numbers of unemployed people answering this question meaning that large percentage point changes are required to detect a difference. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Proportion of participating in formal and informal volunteering (at least once a month) in 2009-10, by socio-economic group, England 
			  Percentage 
			  Socio-economic classifications  Formal volunteering  Informal volunteering 
			 Higher/lower managerial and professions 33 32 
			 Intermediate occupations/small employers 25 30 
			 Lower supervisory and technical/semi-routine 20 28 
			 Routine occupations 16 24 
			 Never worked/long term unemployed 13 21 
			 Full time students 30 32 
			 Not stated/classified 17 24 
		
	
	Information on levels of volunteering in local authority areas is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Citizenship Survey definition of formal volunteering is:
	'Giving unpaid help through groups, clubs or organisations to benefit other people or the environment'.
	This excludes giving money and activities related to job requirements.
	Formal volunteers are those who have given unpaid help through any UK groups, clubs or organisations via the following activities: raising or handling money/taking part in sponsored events; leading the group/member of a committee; organising or helping run an activity or event; visiting people; befriending or mentoring people; giving advice/information/counselling; secretarial, admin or clerical work; providing transport/driving; representing; campaigning; other practical help (e.g. helping out at school); and any other help.
	The Citizenship Survey definition of informal volunteering is:
	'Giving unpaid help as an individual to people who are not relatives'.
	Informal volunteers are those who have given unpaid help to someone who is not a relative via the following activities: keeping in touch with someone who has difficult getting out and about; doing shopping/collecting prescription/paying bills; cooking/cleaning /laundry/gardening or other routine household jobs; decorating or doing any kind of home or car repairs; babysitting or caring for children; sitting with or providing personal care (e.g. washing, dressing) for someone who is sick or frail; looking after property or a pet for someone who is away; giving advice; writing letters or filling in forms; representing someone (e.g. talking to a council department or a doctor); transporting or escorting someone (e.g. to hospital).

Written Questions: Government Responses

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer question 32208 tabled on 16 December 2010 by the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on external legal fees paid by his Department in November 2010.

Bob Neill: holding answer 24 January 2011
	This question has now been answered.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

David Mundell: Other than minor purchases, the Scotland Office does not undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises existing service contracts between suppliers and the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice. Since the Secretary of State for Scotland's appointment on 30 May 2010, no single tender contracts have been awarded directly by the Scotland Office.

CABINET OFFICE

Community Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what measures he uses to measure the well-being of  (a) individuals and  (b) communities.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what measures are used to measure the well being of (a) individuals and (b) communities. 035813
	There are no regular, official measures of well-being. However, on 25 November 2010 the National Statistician launched a debate on the measurement of national well-being and announced plans to include questions on subjective well-being-how people assess their own well-being-in ONS surveys.
	This is the first stage in the development of wider measures, to supplement GDP and other measures of economic welfare. The aim is that these new measures will cover the quality of life of people in the UK, environmental and sustainability issues, as well as the economic performance of the country.
	We want as many people as possible to take part in the debate in a variety of ways, including at events we are organising around the country. Details can be found on our website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/well-being
	by emailing the National Well-being Programme at:
	nationalwell-being@ons.gsi.gov.uk
	or by writing or telephoning.

Former Prime Ministers: Allowances

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much in public duty costs allowance has been paid to former Prime Ministers in each of the last five years.

Francis Maude: The total amount reimbursed each year, on the public duties costs allowance is:
	
		
			   Total expenditure (£) 
			 2005-06 294,546 
			 2006-07 244,638 
			 2007-08 174,551 
			 2008-09 190,888 
			 2009-10 207,624

Urenco: Mutual Societies

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will consider the merits of Urenco Ltd UK becoming an employee mutual rather than being sold to an overseas buyer.

Charles Hendry: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are currently assessing their options with regard to the UK's one-third stake in Urenco. No decisions have yet been taken and any change in the present ownership arrangements will be dependent upon our being satisfied that adequate protections will remain in place in the areas of nuclear non-proliferation, safety and security, while also securing value for money for the tax payer.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Private Members' Bills

Matthew Offord: To ask the Leader of the House what recent representations he has received on the consideration of Private Members' Bills on days other than Fridays.

George Young: I have received representations from hon. Members on this issue during Business Questions and Oral Questions to the Leader of the House of Commons.
	I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this issue.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010.

Andrew Mitchell: From May 2010 the Department for International Development (DFID) has appointed two women and three men to public duties.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Andrew Mitchell: Since May 2010 the Department for International Development (DFID) has made five public appointments. DFID has appointed:
	one new non-executive director and reappointed one non-executive director. Post holders are entitled to £15,000 per annum and an additional £5,000 for the non-executive director who chairs DFID's Audit Committee;
	one chief commissioner to the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, entitled to £600 per day for approximately 45 days per annum; and
	two replacement commissioners to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, DFID's non-departmental public body. The Commission meet up to three times per year and commissioners are entitled to receive up to £250 per meeting to cover expenses.

Nigeria: Education

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria in increasing the accountability of the Nigerian government to its citizens through  (a) working with local government officials and  (b) working with civil society organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: The Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) is subject to regular scrutiny, and the last major review took place in May 2010. This provided strong evidence that the programme is increasing the accountability of the Nigerian Government to its citizens. ESSPIN works closely with another programme which is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID)-the State Accountability and Voice Programme (SAVI)-to identify, train and support civil society organisations to mobilise communities and encourage greater government accountability. ESSPIN works with local government officials to establish school based management committees, which make schools, teachers and local officials more accountable to the local community.

Nigeria: Education

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes his Department supports in respect of skills development for young people in Nigeria; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department of International Development (DFID) has a number of programmes aimed at increasing economic growth, employment and incomes for poor people in various industrial and agricultural sectors in Nigeria. Two programmes under design, in meat and leather, and in construction, are likely to address lack of skills in the labour force, especially amongst youth and the unemployed. These proposals are under review with experts and providers of vocational training services.
	DFID is also exploring a new skills programme that will build on this work, and expand it to more sectors of the economy, with a particular focus on women and girls.

Overseas Aid

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will estimate the change in monetary terms in the level of the UK's official development assistance (ODA) in each year to 2014 if ODA increased incrementally to  (a) 0.61 per cent. of gross national income (GNI) in 2011,  (b) 0.65 per cent. of GNI in 2012 and  (c) 0.7 per cent. of GNI in 2013.

Andrew Mitchell: The Government are committed to spend 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) as official development assistance (ODA) from 2013 in line with the UK's commitments to help the very poorest in the world. We will enshrine this commitment in law.
	ODA projections for each year to 2014 were laid out in the 2010 spending review based on GNI projections provided by the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR).
	
		
			  Spending review 2010 
			   2010  2011  2012  2013  2014 
			 ODA:GNI (percentage) 0.56 0.56 0.56 0.70 0.70 
			 ODA (£ billion) 8.4 8.7 9.1 12.0 12.6

HEALTH

StartHere

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the potential of StartHere to contribute to savings in the NHS.

Simon Burns: We have been supporting StartHere through NHS Choices. We are now reviewing the benefits of this joint working. That will help us understand the potential contributions to savings.

NHS Reorganisation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations have indicated to him their support for plans for the internal reorganisation of the NHS.

Paul Burstow: Many organisations have indicated their support for the principles of our national health service reforms including:
	The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges;
	NHS Confederation;
	The Health Foundation;
	Patient's Association;
	The King's Fund;
	Carers UK;
	Cancer Research UK;
	Royal College of Surgeons;
	Royal College of Nursing;
	Royal College of GPs;
	Royal College of Physicians;
	Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health;
	Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists;
	Royal College of Ophthalmologists;
	The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists;
	The Nuffield Trust;
	The British Dental Association;
	New Local Government Network;
	Core Cities Chief Executives Network;
	Allied Health Professionals Federation;
	British Psychological Society;
	College of Optometrists;
	The Queen's Nursing Institute;
	Foundation Trust Network;
	The UK Public Health Association;
	Chartered Institute of Environmental Health;
	British Dental Association;
	Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists;
	College of Emergency Medicine;
	Dental Schools Council;
	British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy;
	The Renal Association;
	The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy;
	College of Occupational Therapists;
	The College of Paramedics;
	British Association of Social Workers;
	Neurological Alliance;
	National Clinical Homecare Association;
	The Association of UK University Hospitals;
	Age UK;
	Terence Higgins Trust;
	Children's Hospices UK;
	Citizens Advice Bureau;
	British Liver Trust;
	Turning Point;
	Genetic Alliance UK;
	Centre for Mental Health;
	Alzheimer's Society;
	The Prostate Cancer Charity;
	Breast Cancer Care;
	RNIB;
	Diabetes UK; and
	The MS Society
	to name but a few.

GP Commissioning

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation he undertook prior to publication of his proposals for GP commissioning.

Simon Burns: The White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" was published in July last year, and set out our long-term vision for the national health service. Shortly after, we set out further details of our proposals to devolve power and responsibility for commissioning services to local consortia of general practices. In December, we published our response to the consultation, setting out our plans in further detail.

Alternative Medicine: Regulation

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on the statutory regulation of herbal medicine, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The transitional period under the 2004 Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products (THMP) will end on 30 April 2011.
	From this date, all manufactured herbal medicines placed on the market must have either a traditional herbal registration (THR) or a marketing authorisation (MA).
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has identified the possibility of creating a national regulatory scheme allowing authorised herbal practitioners to continue to commission unlicensed manufactured herbal medicines after 30 April 2011.
	When practitioners legally hold stock at 30 April 2011, they will not be required to dispose of these existing stocks.
	We are currently in discussion with the devolved administrations, the Health Professions Council and the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council about the feasibility of a statutory register and we expect to make an announcement shortly.
	I can assure you that this Government are treating this issue as a priority.

Prescription Drugs

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effects on the variation in the cost of prescription drugs of the proposals in the Health White Paper; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Lansley: The White Paper sets out our intention that, from 2014, new medicines subject to the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme should have a price reflective of their value. For drugs dispensed via pharmacies, we will ensure that there are fair, but not excessive, margins on dispensing.

Cancer Patients: Outcomes

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for cancer patients.

Paul Burstow: The Cancer Strategy that we published earlier this month sets out a range of actions to improve outcomes for cancer patients. Earlier diagnosis is crucial to improving outcomes and we have set out plans to deliver this, in particular through improving general practitioner access to diagnostic tests, supporting symptom awareness initiatives and extending cancer screening programmes. We are also improving access to treatment and support for survivors.

Interim Cancer Drugs Fund

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the operation of the interim cancer drugs fund; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: We have received representations from hon. Members, noble Lords, and members of the public on how the interim arrangements for cancer drugs funding are operating. This includes a number welcoming the additional support we are giving to cancer patients in need.

Elective Surgery

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elective surgical procedures have been  (a) postponed and  (b) cancelled since 1 October 2010.

Simon Burns: The Department does not collect data on postponements or total cancelled elective operations. However, the Department publishes data on how many elective operations were cancelled for non-clinical reasons on the day of admission or of operation.
	Latest published data show that there were 13,015 such cancellations during the period July to September 2010 compared with 13,547 during the same period in 2009, under the previous Administration.

Obesity

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of obesity; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: This Government have set out an ambitious new public health strategy in "Healthy Lives, Healthy People". Its radical reforms put health and wellbeing at the centre of all we do.
	We will be publishing a document on obesity in the spring that will set out how obesity will be tackled in the new public health and national health service systems, and the role of key partners.
	The role of Government is to bring together key partners to help and support people to make healthier choices. We cannot tackle obesity alone-it is an issue for society as a whole. We all have a role to play.
	We want people to know that they can change their lifestyle and in doing so they can make a difference to their health.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Misuse

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged  (a) 16 to 19 and  (b) 20 to 24 were registered (i) alcoholics and (ii) drug addicts in each year for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: There is no scheme or requirement for registration by alcoholics or drug addicts with the national health service.
	The adult psychiatric morbidity survey, 'Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England, 2007' (APMS), was published in January 2009, covering adults living in private households in England. It includes information on the prevalence of alcohol use and dependence by age, sex, region and other factors for 2000 and 2007. Estimates of the number and percentage of alcohol dependent individuals aged 16 to 19 and 20 to 24 are in the following table. Estimates for other years are not available.
	
		
			  Estimate of the number and percentage of alcohol dependent( 1)  individuals aged 16 to 19 and 20 to 24, 2000 and 2007 
			  Age (years):  16- 19  20-24 
			   Estimated number  Estimated percentage  Estimated number  Estimated percentage 
			 2000 120,000 5 240,000 8 
			 2007 130,000 5 290,000 8 
			 (1) Scoring 16 or more on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) 
		
	
	Data on drug treatment, including that for individuals with a drug dependency problem, are collected by the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). NDTMS data on the number of 18 to 24-year-olds in treatment for the years 2005-06 to 2009-10 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of 18 to 24-year-olds in treatment for the years 2005-06 to 2009-10 
			   Number 
			 2005-06 32,948 
			 2006-07 32,981 
			 2007-08 31,239 
			 2008-09 30,210 
			 2009-10 27,071 
		
	
	In December 2010 the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse published 'Substance misuse among young people: the data for 2009-10', which included data on the number of young people aged 18 and under accessing drug treatment services. Data on young people accessing treatment services are available for the years 2005-06 to 2009-10 and are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of young people accessing drug treatment services by age and year 
			  Age  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 16 to 17 4,347 5,315 5,987 6,133 5,823 
			 17 to 18 4,780 6,019 6,624 6,663 6,701 
		
	
	The 'National and Regional Estimates of the Prevalence of Opiate and/or Crack Cocaine Use 2008-09' report provides data on opiate and/or crack cocaine use for the years 2006-07 and 2008-09. Estimates on opiate and/or crack cocaine use for those aged 15 to 24 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimates on opiate and/or crack cocaine use for those aged 15 to 24 for 2006-07 and 2008-09 
			   Estimate of opiate and/or crack cocaine use by 15 to 24-year-olds 
			 2006-07 60,672 
			 2008-09 58,618

Blood: Contamination

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the difference is in the level of compensation payments for those affected by contaminated blood and blood products  (a) in the Republic of Ireland and  (b) in the UK under the settlement he announced on 10 January 2011; and for what reasons he considers that a difference in such levels is appropriate.

Andrew Lansley: It is not possible to make meaningful comparisons between the level of compensation made to individuals in the Republic of Ireland and the level of ex-gratia payments made to individuals here in the United Kingdom, because the two systems are completely different. In the Republic of Ireland, lump sum payments are made, the size of which varies according to the circumstances of the individual claimant. Here in the UK, there is a system of lump sum, annual, and discretionary ex-gratia payments. The recurrent annual payments will be made over the lifetime of the infected individual, so it is impossible to ascertain how much individual patients might receive in future.
	As I explained to the House on 10 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 33-42, the circumstances in the Republic of Ireland are unique to them, in that the Irish Government chose to establish an independent Compensation Tribunal to determine the quantum of payments by reference to Irish principles of law governing the calculation of damages. In consequence, the basic awards made in Ireland (leaving aside exemplary or aggravated damages) are compensatory in nature but are paid without proof of negligence in any given case. The article in  The Irish Times on 5 August 1997, has already been placed in the Library on 14 October 2010, demonstrates that there is a clear indication of an acceptance by the Irish Government that in many, if not all cases, the claimants were likely to have a good cause of action because the Irish Attorney General advised that the Irish Blood Transfusion Service Board (for which the Irish Government are responsible) would be found guilty of negligence.
	In my remarks to the House on 10 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 33-42, I referred to the question of liability in relation to the Republic of Ireland. For the avoidance of doubt, I am aware that no liability was formally accepted by the Government of the Republic of Ireland, nor was such a determination made by a court. My response to questions highlighted that, in view of the acknowledgement of mistakes made by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service Board, the nature of the payments in Ireland were consistent with a finding of liability leading to compensation as was set out in that article. The approach we have taken in the UK is therefore distinct and different, and is ex gratia in nature. Our payments are not equivalent to those that would be made on the basis of legal liability.

Cancer: Drugs

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people have applied for funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund  (a) in total,  (b) by primary care trust and  (c) by constituency to date;
	(2)  how many people have received funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund to date;
	(3)  how many people have applied for funding for selective internal radiation therapy from the Cancer Drugs Fund to date;
	(4)  how many people have received funding for selective internal radiation therapy from the Cancer Drugs Fund to date;
	(5)  for what reasons selective internal radiation therapy has been rejected by strategic health authorities.

Paul Burstow: The Cancer Drugs Fund does not take effect until April 2011. Under the arrangements for the additional £50 million made available to the national health service for additional cancer drugs on an interim basis in this financial year, up to 10 January 2011, strategic health authorities had received around one thousand applications for funding. Of these, applications for over 750 patients had been agreed with most of the remaining applications under consideration.
	We do not hold a breakdown of these applications by primary care trust or constituency, or the number of applications made for funding of selective internal radiation therapy.
	Decisions on which cancer drugs are funded from the additional £50 million are a matter for regional clinically-led panels based on the advice of cancer specialists. We expect these decisions to be informed by the guidance issued by the Department to strategic health authorities in July 2010, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. This guidance specifies that the primary focus of the funding is on improving access to cancer drugs, which may include radiopharmaceuticals.
	We have consulted on our plans for the design of the Cancer Drugs Fund and our consultation closed on 19 January. Decisions on the implementation of the Cancer Drugs Fund will be taken once the responses to the consultation have been considered.

Cancer: Drugs

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria strategic health authorities use to determine funding for the Interim Cancer Drugs Fund.

Paul Burstow: Decisions on the use of the additional £50 million made available to the national health service in this financial year are a matter for regional clinically-led panels based on the advice of cancer specialists. We expect these decisions to be informed by the guidance issued by the Department to strategic health authorities (SHAs) in July 2010, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
	Details of the arrangements and criteria that SHAs have in place for the distribution of this funding are available on their websites as follows:
	
		
			  SHA  Website 
			 NHS South East Coast www.southeastcoast.nhs.uk/For%20the%20Public/Interim-drug-fund.htm 
			 NHS South Central www.southcentral.nhs.uk/30/09/2010/nhs-south-central-additional-cancer-drug-funding/ 
			 NHS South West www.southwest.nhs.uk/interim_cancer_drugs_fund.html 
			 NHS Yorkshire and the Humber www.yorksandhumber.nhs.uk/what_we_do/improving_patient_care_and_service_quality/yorkshire_and_the_humber_interim_cancer_drugs_fund 
			 NHS East Midlands www.eastmidlands.nhs.uk/interim-cancer-drug-fund/ 
			 NHS West Midlands www.westmidlands.nhs.uk/WhatWeDo/WestMidlandsCancerDrugFund.aspx 
			 NHS London www.london.nhs.uk/news-and-health-issues/press-releases/latest-press-releases/new-76m-cancer-drugs-fund-available-for-patients-in-london 
			 NHS North East www.northeast.nhs.uk/news-centre/news-releases/release/?id=157 
			 NHS East of England www.eoe.nhs.uk/page.php?page_id=1247 
			 NHS North West www.nwcancerdrugsfund.nhs.uk/

Community Services

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to shorten or simplify the standard NHS Contract for Community Services.

Simon Burns: In line with the planned revision for the NHS Standard Contracts, the 2011-12 NHS Standard Contract for Community Services is undergoing a review with the aim to remove any element that is dealt with by regulatory and other organisations and the simplification of clauses and wording following feedback received from a wide range of provider and commissioner stakeholders.

Cot Deaths

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has put in place to prevent deaths of young people from sudden death syndrome.

Simon Burns: In March 2005, the national service framework for coronary heart disease was extended with a new chapter that provides models of care and markers of quality for arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
	The Department works closely with national health service and charitable organisations such as Cardiac Risk in the Young and British Heart Foundation in developing services aimed at identifying people who are at risk and assessing them and their families to reduce their chances of dying from an arrhythmic condition. It has also worked with these organisations to ensure that systems are in place for those diagnosed with a potentially life threatening condition, and their families, to produce appropriate counselling, advice information and psychological support.
	The Department supported formation of the UK Cardiac Pathology Network (UKCPN) in order to provide local coroners with an expert cardiac pathology service and to promote best pathological practice in sudden death cases. A national database on sudden arrhythmic death was launched in November 2008 funded by the Department allowing UKCPN pathologists to record information on cases referred to them.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010.

Simon Burns: Since 1 May 2010, the Secretary of State for Health has appointed one man and one woman to a public appointment.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Simon Burns: Since the Secretary of State for Health's appointment, he has appointed the Chair of the Care Quality Commission who is remunerated at £60,000.

Genito-urinary Medical Services

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what modelling his Department has undertaken to estimate the annual cost of providing genito-urinary medical services; what recent assessment he has made of the cost of such services; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Department has not undertaken any specific modelling to estimate the annual cost of providing genito-urinary medical services.
	In 2009-10 it is estimated that England-level gross expenditure on genito-urinary medical services was £4.63 billion. The following table provides an estimated breakdown of this expenditure.
	
		
			   £ billion 
			 Genital tract problems 1.08 
			 Renal problems 1.64 
			 Sexually transmitted infections 0.29 
			 Problems of genito-urinary system (other) 1.61 
			 Total 4.63 
		
	
	Additionally, the estimated expenditure on HIV and AIDS in 2009-10 was £0.76 billion.
	 Source:
	Expenditure figures above are from estimated England level programme budgeting data, which are calculated using primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority programme budgeting returns and Department of Health resource accounts data. Figures will include an estimation of special health authority expenditure. Full table is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Financeandplanning/Programmebudgeting/DH_075743#_5
	In addition, through a separate exercise of the annual reference cost collection, the Department collects information on the cost to national health service providers (NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts and PCT provider arms) of providing a defined service in a given financial year.
	The following table contains total reported cost information from the 2009-10 reference costs (the most recent year for which data has been published) for collection categories which relate explicitly to genito-urinary medical services.
	
		
			  Total reported cost of genitourinary medical services in 2009-10( 1) 
			  Collection category  £ million 
			 Out-patient attendances(2) 291.7 
			 Other settings(3, 4) 11.0 
			 (1) The total reported cost figures have been rounded to the nearest £100,000. (2 )The out-patient attendance figure relates to costs reported against Service Code 360 (Genito-Urinary Medicine). (3) The 'other settings' figure includes the cost of providing genito-urinary medical services in the following settings-elective, non-elective, day case, out-patient procedure and regular day/night admissions-as reported against three Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs): (a) LB20A (Infection and Mechanical Problems Related to Genito-Urinary Prostheses, Implants and Grafts with complications/comorbidities) (b) LB20B (Infection and Mechanical Problems Related to Genito-Urinary Prostheses, Implants and Grafts without complications/comorbidities) (c) WA10Z (Other infections (Genito Urinary Medicine) (4) As it is possible that some GUM services may have been provided alongside other treatments, this activity will have mapped to other HRGs which do not relate explicitly to GUM services. It is not possible to separately identify the costs associated with GUM services that may have mapped to other HRGs.  Source: Figures in the table are taken from schedule 4 (NHS trusts and PCTs combined) of the national schedules of reference costs for the financial year 2009-10, available at: www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/NHScostingmanual/index.htm 
		
	
	These figures do not reflect the cost to PCTs of commissioning GUM medical services, as these costs are not covered by the reference costs collection.

Health: Telephone Services

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines are in place on the use of 0844 and 0845 telephone numbers by  (a) GP surgeries,  (b) hospitals and  (c) dental practices.

Simon Burns: Following a public consultation on the future use of 0844 and 0845 numbers in the national health service, the Department announced on 14 September 2009, that it would be prohibiting the use of telephone numbers which charged the patient more than the equivalent cost of calling a geographical number. The Department issued guidance and directions to general practitioner practices and NHS bodies, including hospitals, which came into force on 21 December 2010.
	There are no regulations or guidelines in place regarding the use of 0844 or 0845 numbers in dental practices.

Hearing Aids

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for a patient to receive a hearing aid in  (a) Wirral primary care trust,  (b) primary care trusts in the North West and  (c) England.

Paul Burstow: The average (median) waiting time for a completed Direct Access audiology pathway in November 2010 for:
	 (a) Wirral Primary Care Trust was 6.0 weeks
	 (b) North West SHA was 4.7 weeks
	 ( c) England was 4.8 weeks
	The Department collects data on waiting times for Direct Access audiology pathways, from general practitioner referral to first definitive treatment, which includes the fitting of a hearing aid and other types of treatment. This is the latest available data published on 20 January 2011.

Hospital Beds

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many critical care beds are available in  (a) Wirral primary care trust,  (b) primary care trusts in the North West and  (c) England.

Simon Burns: There are 18 critical care beds available at Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
	Information on the number of critical care beds is collected at the level of hospital trusts, not primary care trusts. There are 566 critical care beds in North West strategic health authority.
	There are 3,662 critical care beds in England.
	KH03a data are the official and validated source for information on the number of open and staffed critical care beds in England. KH03a data are published biannually by the Department and the latest available data sets out the position at 15 July 2010. The information includes all data and amendments received up to 25 August 2010.

Hospitals: Parking

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure hospitals observe its guidance on car park charges.

Simon Burns: National health service organisations are responsible locally for their own policy on car parking, taking into account operational circumstances and community interests. We have made clear that local policies should include fair concessions for all patients whose healthcare needs require extended or frequent access to hospital. Patients on low incomes are entitled to recover travel costs, including car parking charges, under the Hospital Travel Costs scheme.
	The Department does not directly monitor the NHS to ensure that local polices provide fair concessions to patients and the local public. NHS trust boards should be held to account by their local communities including foundation trust members and other public groups.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many primary care trusts are funding  (a) one cycle,  (b) two cycles and  (c) three cycles of in vitro fertilisation; and how many include frozen embryo transfers as part of each cycle;
	(2)  what his policy is on action to be taken should a primary care trust  (a) suspend and  (b) restrict funding for fertility services in its area.

Anne Milton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are well aware of their statutory commissioning responsibilities and the need to base commissioning decisions on clinical evidence and discussions with local general practitioners (GPs) commissioners, secondary care clinicians and providers.
	The NHS deputy chief executive, David Flory, wrote to PCT commissioners on 11 January 2011 to highlight the importance that those involved in commissioning fertility services have regard to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence fertility guidelines, including the recommendation that up to three cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) are offered to eligible couples where the woman is aged between 23 and 39.
	A copy of this communication has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_123405.pdf
	Information on the number of IVF treatment cycles funded by the national health service and the number of these cycles that include frozen embryo transfers as part of each is not collected centrally.

Influenza: North West

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) Greater Manchester and  (b) the North West have died from influenza since October 2010; how many such cases involved the H1N1 strain of the virus; and what consideration his Department has given to publishing a regional or sub-regional breakdown of deaths from influenza.

Anne Milton: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) advises the Department on the number of deaths associated with influenza.
	The HPA is unable to provide regional or sub-regional data on deaths from influenza.
	The HPA aims to publish as much information on deaths as is useful for understanding the impact and epidemiology of influenza, while recognising its duty of confidentiality towards individual patients and their families.
	As at 19 January, the HPA reported 254 influenza-related deaths in the United Kingdom since September. Of the 214 cases with information on the type of influenza infection, 195 deaths (91%) were associated with H1N1 virus.

Injuries: Dogs

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the level of expenditure by the NHS on treating victims of dog attacks in the latest year for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Information is not collected centrally on the total number of dog bite injuries treated by the national health service.

IVF

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations he has undertaken on increasing the limit on reimbursement for egg donors.

Anne Milton: The reimbursement of egg donors is a matter for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) as set out by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and Directions. The HFEA launched a consultation on egg and sperm donation on 17 January 2011, which includes the compensation of donors. Details of the consultation can be found on the HFEA website at:
	www.hfea.gov.uk/5605.html

IVF

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking in response to recent announcements by primary care trusts that they plan to suspend or restrict funding for IVF services; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The NHS deputy chief executive, David Flory, wrote to primary care trust commissioners on 11 January 2011 to highlight the importance that those involved in commissioning fertility services have regard to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence fertility guidelines, including the recommendation that up to three cycles of in vitro fertilisation are offered to eligible couples where the woman is aged between 23 and 39.
	A copy of this communication has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_123405.pdf

MMR Vaccine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities are available for infants to have single vaccines for mumps, measles and rubella instead of the MMR Vaccine.

Anne Milton: The national health service provides routine childhood vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella using the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as this protects against all three diseases. The Department does not recommend single vaccines for measles, mumps or rubella for NHS use because there is no evidence that they are more effective or safer than the MMR vaccine. Having single vaccines leaves children at risk of catching measles, mumps or rubella in the gaps between the vaccinations.
	Single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are not licensed for use in the United Kingdom. Such unlicensed vaccines are imported under an exemption to the need for a Marketing Authorisation ("product licence") for the special needs of individual patients for use on the direct personal responsibility of the prescriber.

NHS

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the proposed increase in competition within the NHS will include provision of services by private companies; who will be responsible for validating the medical and clinical expertise of such companies; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Under our proposals, patients and commissioners will have an increasing choice of who provides health services. Our aim is that patients can be treated by those providers best placed to meet their needs. Providers from all sectors, including national health service trusts and foundation trusts, voluntary organisations, social enterprises and the independent sector, will be eligible-as at present-to have a role in providing those NHS services.
	Primary care trusts as the current commissioners of NHS services are responsible for undertaking the necessary rigorous due diligence on providers prior to signing a contract for the provision of NHS clinical services. Arrangements for contracts with general practitioner (GP) consortiums for clinical services have yet to be determined, as the creation of GP consortiums is subject to parliamentary approval. In future, again subject to parliamentary approval of its proposed new roles, Monitor will develop and agree with the Secretary of State criteria for determining who constitutes a 'fit person' for the purposes of contracting for NHS-funded clinical services. The Care Quality Commission will continue to play an important role in assuring quality and patient safety.

NHS: Finance

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the expected level of savings in the cost of management and administration following the proposed abolition of the  (a) West Sussex Primary Care Trust and  (b) South East Coast Strategic Health Authority.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has not made an estimate of the level of savings in the cost of management and administration from the abolition of the West Sussex Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA).
	Reductions in the cost of administration across the health system will deliver annual savings of £1.7 billion (in today's prices) by 2014-15. This represents a one third reduction in real terms and includes the impact of abolishing PCTs and SHAs, as well as savings in the Department and its arm's length bodies.
	The trajectory and SHA-level breakdown of savings in the national health service will be set out shortly in detailed financial planning guidance for the NHS. It will be for SHAs to determine how the target reduction is managed across their regions.

NHS: Greater London

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital managers were employed in  (a) Edgware Community Hospital,  (b) Barnet Primary Care Trust and  (c) the NHS in Hendon constituency in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The following table shows hospital and community health non medical staff in each specified national health service hospital and community health service organisation by main staff group as at 30 September each year.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: non-medical staff in each specified organisation by main staff group as at 30 September each year 
			  headcount 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 4,061 4,061 3,990 4,067 4,260 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 2,182 2,210 2,258 2,263 2,265 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 1,715 1,692 1,750 1,777 1,781 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 467 518 508 486 484 
			 Support to clinical staff 1,528 1,455 1,376 1,423 1,577 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 1,253 1,152 1,102 1,119 1,227 
			 Support to ST&T staff 275 303 274 304 350 
			 NHS infrastructure support 351 396 356 381 418 
			 Central functions 258 300 250 269 286 
			 Hotel, property and estates 6 7 13 15 19 
			 Senior managers 27 26 30 31 32 
			 Managers 60 63 63 66 81 
			   
			 Barnet PCT 1,380 1,278 1,334 1,311 1,310 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 616 583 655 628 623 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 452 389 437 418 417 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 164 194 218 210 206 
			 Support to clinical staff 446 374 368 375 368 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 378 332 314 325 319 
			 Support to ST&T staff 54 29 41 41 40 
			 Support to ambulance staff 14 13 13 9 9 
			 NHS infrastructure support 318 321 311 308 319 
			 Central functions 130 187 159 149 156 
			 Hotel, property and estates 84 58 58 52 51 
			 Senior managers 84 67 83 86 84 
			 Managers 20 9 11 21 28 
			   
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 5,015 4,741 4,692 4,641 4,951 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 2,868 2,837 2,750 2,762 2,881 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 2,070 2,035 1,942 1,910 1,976 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 798 802 808 852 905 
			 Support to clinical staff 1,131 1,003 1,023 1,061 1,215 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 846 722 733 764 918 
			 Support to ST&T staff 285 281 290 297 297 
			 NHS infrastructure support 1,016 901 919 818 855 
			 Central functions 267 243 261 265 325 
			 Hotel, property and estates 635 553 550 444 423 
			 Senior managers 52 31 38 39 31 
			 Managers 62 74 70 70 76 
			   
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 958 926 955 1,046 1,284 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 555 542 571 681 880 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 402 385 408 513 707 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 153 157 163 168 173 
			 Support to clinical staff 179 171 148 140 141 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 155 150 131 118 122 
			 Support to ST&T staff 23 20 17 22 19 
			 Support to ambulance staff 1 1 0 0 0 
			 NHS infrastructure support 224 213 236 225 263 
			 Central functions 161 152 178 171 196 
			 Hotel, property and estates 20 19 19 19 20 
			 Senior managers 30 34 32 29 38 
			 Managers 13 8 7 6 9 
			  Note: It is impossible to isolate figures for individual hospitals from the census data. The data is collected at organisation level and the figures for smaller sites are aggregated prior to submission. The organisations shown are those that cover the Hendon parliamentary constituency.  Data Quality: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.  Source: The NHS Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

Public Lavatories: Retail Trade

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage operators of retail stores to provide hand towels in disabled toilet facilities in retail outlets.

Paul Burstow: The Department is not responsible for the maintenance of disabled toilet facilities in retail outlets and does not issue guidance on the topic.

Waiting Lists: Accident and Emergency Departments

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time to be seen is for accident and emergency treatment in  (a) Wirral Primary Care Trust,  (b) primary care trusts in the North West and  (c) England.

Simon Burns: The following table sets out the mean and median time spent between arrival and treatment in accident and emergency (A&E) departments in Wirral primary care trust (PCT), each of the other main providers of treatment in the North West, and England in 2009-10.
	
		
			  Provider code  A&E main provider of treatment  Mean duration to treatment (minutes)  Median duration to treatment (minutes) 
			 5NK Wirral PCT 81.4 58 
			 
			 5HG Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 76.2 59 
			 5CC Blackburn with Darwen PCT 51.3 37 
			 5HP Blackpool PCT 84.8 53 
			 5HQ Bolton PCT 65.8 58 
			 5NP Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 42.3 22 
			 5NG Central Lancashire PCT 62.5 51 
			 5NE Cumbria Teaching PCT 55.3 39 
			 5J4 Knowsley PCT 212.8 27 
			 5NL Liverpool PCT 90.5 76 
			 5NT Manchester PCT 75.4 60 
			 5F5 Salford PCT 67.2 56 
			 5NJ Sefton PCT 57.5 44 
			 5F7 Stockport PCT 56.9 48 
			 5LH Tameside and Glossop PCT 9.0 0 
			 5NR Trafford PCT 54.1 39 
			 5J2 Warrington PCT 73.8 60 
			 5NN Western Cheshire PCT 0.2 0 
			 
			 England England 102.0 55 
			  Notes: 1. These data cover attendances at all types of A&E departments, including major A&E departments, single specialty A&E departments, walk-in centres and minor injuries units. 2. The duration to treatment refers to the time from arrival at A&E to the time that a treatment intervention takes place during an A&E attendance. 3. A&E HES are the only source of nationally available data which contain information on the time spent in A&E from arrival to treatment. Official information on the total time spent in A&E is collected as part of the Department of Health's Quarterly Monitoring of A&E (QMAE) data collection. 4. Some shortcomings remain with the quality and coverage of A&E HES data, and variation in the time to treatment across trusts may reflect varying data quality and coverage as well as variation in genuine activity. For example, in some cases unusually short or long times to treatment in A&E are reported due to default times being recorded instead of the actual time of treatment. These data issues will have a larger effect on the mean, rather than the median, time in A&E. 5. The A&E HES publications addresses some of the key data quality and coverage issues. These are available on HESonline: www.hesonline.nhs.uk  Source: A&E Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Student Numbers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many adults in England are in full-time further education; and what proportion are aged between 19 and 24 years.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows the total number of adults participating in Further Education (Learner Responsive) in the 2008/09 academic year, and the number and proportion that were studying full-time.
	There were 157,700 adults studying in full-time further education in 2008/09. Of these, 57% were aged between 19 and 24 years old.
	
		
			  Table 1: Further education (learner responsive) full-time participation by age, 2008-09 
			  Age  Total FE participation  Total FE participation (percentage)  FE full-time participation  FE full-time Percentage 
			 19-24 324,200 21 89,700 57 
			 25+ 1,179,800 78 68,000 43 
			 Total(19+) 1,511,000 100 157,700 100 
			  Notes: 1. This data does not include participation in apprenticeships, train to gain, adult safeguarded learning or higher education. Further education provision in this table covers the learner responsive funding stream only. Further education/learner responsive provision includes general further education colleges including tertiary, sixth form colleges-agricultural and horticultural colleges and art and design colleges, specialist colleges and external institutions. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Percentages are calculated on pre-rounded data. 3. Age is based on age as of the 31 August 2008. 4. The total FE participation figure includes a small number of learners with an unknown age. Learners aged under 19 are not included in the above figures. 5. Full-time learners are defined as those learners studying a programme of a minimum of 450 guided learning hours in an academic year.  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on further education participation is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 16 November 2010:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	Near final data for further education participation and achievement for 2009/10 will be published in a Statistical First Release published on 27 January, which will also be available at the link above.

Apprentices

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage large companies to offer apprenticeships.

John Hayes: holding answer 21 January 2011
	The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) delivers a dedicated service to large multi-site national employers through the National Employer Service, offering free, expert advice and support to recruit and develop apprentices. Support is also available to larger employers through the NAS regional teams.
	NAS is focusing its current marketing campaign on medium and large employers, contacting thousands of large private and public sector employers to promote the benefits of apprenticeships to their business.
	Since its launch in April 2009, NAS has increased the number of apprentices it supports (by 25% year-on-year) in large national employers who directly deliver high quality apprenticeship programmes, such as British Telecom, BAE Systems and, more recently, McDonalds; as well as in those who are working through their preferred training provider or college, such as Morrisons and the BBC.

Apprentices

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship places he expects to be available in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12,  (c) 2012-13 and  (d) 2013-14; and in each such year, how many apprenticeship places he expects to be taken up by those aged (i) 16-18, (ii) 19-24, (iii) 25-30 and (iv) over 30 years old.

John Hayes: Apprenticeships is a demand-led programme for young people and adults. Government funds apprenticeship training, in full for 16 to 19-year-olds and in part for adults; but relies on employers and providers to work together to offer sufficient opportunities, in the context of the greater freedoms and flexibilities that we have created in the further education system. Therefore, Government does not plan apprenticeship places but provides funding and forecasts the number of places that may be afforded as a result.
	We have recently set out indicative forecasts of apprenticeships in documents published by the Young People's Learning Agency and BIS.
	For 16 to 19-year-olds, the YPLA document "16 to 19 Funding Statement", published in December, states that we plan to have 131,200 apprentice starts in 2010/11 and 133,500 in 2011/12.
	The BIS documents "Skills for Sustainable Growth and Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth" set out the abolition of central targets and increased freedom and flexibility for further education colleges and training organisations to respond effectively to the needs of employers, learners and their communities. It will be for individual colleges and training organisations, working directly with their local partners, to determine the offer that best meets the needs of their communities.
	From the 2011/12 academic year, there will be a single Adult Skills Budget, with earmarked delivery for apprenticeships. As part of its allocations process later this year, the Skills Funding Agency will set out a minimum expectation of apprenticeships delivery. Further education colleges and training organisations will be able to use their single Adult Skills Budget allocation to expand apprenticeships. Meanwhile, any diversion of funding away from apprenticeships will be agreed with the agency.
	In this context, "Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth" offers an indicative forecast for apprenticeship learner numbers, including apprentices expected to continue learning from the previous year. It does not provide a direct comparison in starts for adult (19+) apprentices and does not differentiate by age band. Officials have converted the learner numbers to starts for comparison, so the indicative forecast is for 220,900 adult (19+) starts in 2010/11 and 227,100 in 2011/12.
	We have not published forecast starts figures beyond 2011/12.

Apprentices

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many training places were available under  (a) Train to Gain and  (b) apprenticeships in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of Train to Gain and apprenticeship starts in England from the 2006/07 to 2008/09 academic year, the latest year for which final data are available.
	As announced in a letter from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), to the Skills Funding Agency chief executive in June 2010, Train to Gain will be abolished from the 2011/12 academic year. It will be replaced by a new workplace training programme, aimed at supporting smaller employers.
	
		
			  Table 1: Train to Gain and Apprenticeship Starts, 2006/07 to 2008/09 
			  Academic year  Train to Gain starts  Apprenticeship starts 
			 2006/07 206,300 184,400 
			 2007/08 346,200 224,800 
			 2008/09 (1)817,400 239,900 
			 (1) Train to Gain figures for 2008/09 are not comparable with earlier years as in 2008/09 NVQs delivered in the workplace previously funded by FE are now funded by Train to Gain. There were 181,000 starts in NVQs delivered in the workplace in 2007/08.  Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of Train to Gain and apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 16 November 2010:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	Final data for Train to Gain and apprenticeships for 2009/10 will be published in a Statistical First Release published on 27 January 2011 which will also be available at the link above.

Apprentices

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many adults in England are on apprenticeships; and what proportion are aged between 19 and 24 years.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts in England by age for the 2008/09 academic year, the latest year for which final data are available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by age, 2008/09 
			  Age  Apprenticeship starts  Percentage 
			 19-24 84,700 60 
			 25+ 55,900 40 
			 Total (19+) 140,600 100 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Percentages are calculated on pre-rounded data. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the programme. 3. Figures include learners aged 19 and over only. Learners aged under 19 are not included in the above figures.  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 16 November 2010:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	Final 2009/10 data for apprenticeships will be published in a Statistical First Release published on 27 January, which will also be available at the link above.

Banks: Loans

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the amount of bank lending available to  (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and  (b) large companies in each region in each quarter since January 2006; and what progress has been made on the major loan guarantee scheme and the use of net lending targets for the nationalised banks proposed in the Coalition Agreement.

Mark Prisk: Data on bank lending to all companies, including SMEs and large companies, are collected and analysed by the Bank of England. Quarterly updates are made available through the Bank of England's 'Trends in Lending' publication.
	Current data show that in Q3 of 2010, £24.4 billion gross were lent to UK businesses (including both SMEs and large companies). October 'Trends in Lending' has SME lending statistics. More information is available at:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/monetary/trendsinlending2010.htm
	With regard to the loan guarantee scheme proposed in the coalition agreement, the Government consulted on this and other issues last summer ('Financing a private sector recovery') and announced in their response to the consultation ('Backing Small Business') that the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme, which provides loan guarantee support to SMEs without collateral or financial track record and has already provided over £1.3 billion of loans to SMEs, would be extended to 2014-15, benefiting around 6,000 viable SMEs next year alone and, subject to demand, be worth over £2 billion in total over the next four years.
	As the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated on 11 January, we are working with the banks to ensure that they make a greater contribution to lending. We will provide more detail to the House when the negotiations have been finalised.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010.

Edward Davey: Since May 2010 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has appointed six women and 21 men to the boards of our public bodies.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Edward Davey: Details of the appointments made and remuneration are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Body  Appointee  Remuneration 
			 ACAS Three members £1,695 annual honorarium, plus £172 for each day they work on council business 
			
			 Competition Commission Deputy chair £102,640 pa 
			
			 Consumer Focus Interim chair £48,000 pa 
			
			 Industrial Development Advisory Board Two members Unremunerated 
			
			 Low Pay Commission One member £242 daily attendance allowance 
			
			 NESTA Two members £9,000 pa. One member has refused the remuneration 
			
			 One North East Chair £54,479 pa 
			
			 Postcomm Chair £51,500 pa 
			  Three members £11,412 pa. One member unremunerated 
			
			 Research Councils One member £6,850 pa 
			  Four members £6,850 pa 
			
			 Student Loans Company Chair £50,000 pa 
			  One member £9,000 pa 
			
			 UK Atomic Energy Authority Three members £15,000 pa 
			
			 UK Commission for Employment and Skills Chair £28,000 pa 
			
			 Yorkshire Forward Chair £81,718 
		
	
	Details of public body boards can be found on the website of each body.

Driving Instruction: Qualifications

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many grants were made to students resident in each local authority area to facilitate study for National Vocational Qualifications or other qualifications to obtain registration on the Approved Driving Instructor Register in each of the last five years; and what the total monetary value of those grants was in each such year.

John Hayes: holding answer 24 January 2011
	The Adult Learning Grant (ALG) is an England-only programme for adults who are studying full time-450 hours of guided learning over the academic year-for their first full Level 2 or first full Level 3 course. Data on ALG is not available by local authority area.
	However, the ALG programme does not support the learning that is required to obtain registration on the Approved Driving Instructor Register. There are no specific NVQ or other qualifications which lead to registration on the Approved Driving Instructor Register. To register, applicants must pass the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) exams.

Driving Instruction: Qualifications

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many enquiries were received by Business Link from applicants who expressed an interest in obtaining registration on the Approved Driving Instructor Register with a view to establishing a driving school in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 24 January 2011
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills fund a range of business support and advice that is delivered via the regional development agencies through the Business Link regional advisory service. The regional advisory service providers do not record information on the enquiries they receive to the level of detail necessary to answer this question. However, they will have directed any enquiries to the appropriate information on the Business Link website.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), who manage the Business Link website, launched a new section of the site covering Transport and Logistics at the end of March 2009, which contains nine approved driving instructor (ADI) guides and two ADI transactions. Annex A gives figures for the number visits to the relevant web pages since their launch.
	
		
			  Annex A: Transaction pages: Apply to become an approved driving instructor (ADI) 
			  Period  Number of visits 
			 April 2009-10 23,000 
			 April 2010-January 2011 6,500 
		
	
	
		
			  Manage your approved driving instructor (ADI) registration and continuing professional development (CPD) 
			  Period  Number of visits 
			 April 2009-10 38,000 
			 April 2010-January 2011 98,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Guidance pages: Approved driving instructor (ADI) guides 
			  Period  Number of visits 
			 April 2009-10 43,000 
			 April 2010-January 2011 35,000

Environment Protection: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage businesses to invest in research and development of environmental goods and services.

David Willetts: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills sponsored Technology Strategy Board supports business led R and D focused on environmental goods and services through a number of programmes focused on those opportunities which offer the greatest scope for boosting UK growth and productivity. The Department also supports the Energy Technologies Institute, a 50:50 public-private partnership, to invest in the development of low carbon energy technologies and solutions.
	Furthermore, the Research Councils will continue to work closely with the Technology Strategy Board under the themes of low carbon energy and resource efficiency to help ensure investments through cross-Council programmes such as Living With Environmental Change and Energy are closely informed by business, and that businesses will readily adopt innovations that stem from excellent research.
	BIS and the Department for Energy and Climate Change are also providing £40 million of dual-key funding for three testing facilities at Narec to support the development of offshore renewable energy, and the Department also supports R and D tax credits, which provides tax relief for any company undertaking a minimum of £10,000 work of R and D in the year. Companies not in profit can receive cash as an alternative to tax relief, which is helpful to companies undertaking R and D with a long lead time.
	As part of the Government's commitment to creating the most competitive corporate tax regime in the G20, we launched at the end of November 2010 a consultation with business on the taxation of intellectual property and the support that R and D tax credits provide for innovation which will run until 22 February 2011.

Further Education

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of the barriers to participation in further education for people  (a) up to the age of 19 years and  (b) over the age of 19 years.

John Hayes: Such assessments are conducted by a range of public-sector and independent organisations. They reveal that learners may face a wide variety of, for example, practical, geographical, social and financial barriers to participation depending on their individual circumstances.
	Schools, colleges and training providers play a vital role in identifying and overcoming those barriers.

Graduates: Student Numbers

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many postgraduate students studying at UK higher education institutions were  (a) UK citizens,  (b) citizens of other EU countries and (c) citizens of each other non-EU country in each of the last 10 years; what estimate he has made of the likely number of postgraduate students in each such category in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The number of postgraduate students enrolled at UK higher education institutions are shown by country of domicile. Figures are provided for the UK, European Union and each overseas non-European Union country for the academic years 2000/01 to 2009/10. This is the latest information available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) these can be found in the Libraries of the House.
	Figures for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from HESA in January 2012.
	The Department does not plan for the number of postgraduate students at UK higher education institutions.

Green Investment Bank

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to make an announcement on the establishment of the proposed Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: As set out in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills structural reform plan, the Green Investment Bank (GIB) will be operational by September 2012. We are, however, looking to begin making investments as soon as the GIB receives funding from asset sales. We will make an announcement in May.

Higher Education: Admissions

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people normally resident in  (a) Hastings and Rye constituency,  (b) Hastings borough council area,  (c) East Sussex,  (d) the South East and (e) England applied to attend university to start in the academic year (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

David Willetts: The information is in the following tables and is provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and therefore mostly covers full-time undergraduate study(1). Data for 2010/11 represent the final end-of-cycle data.
	
		
			  Applicants to full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS 2010/11 
			  Geographical area  Applicants 
			 Hastings and Rye constituency 918 
			 Hastings borough council 768 
			 East Sussex 4,737 
			 South East 78,255 
			 England 495,884 
			 (1) UCAS covers full-time first degree, foundation degree, HND, HNC, Certificates of HE, Diplomas of HE (including those in social work, midwifery and nursing) and some postgraduate courses in social work.  Source: UCAS 
		
	
	Data for 2011/12 represent applicants who had applied by 20 December 2010. Applicants can apply via the main scheme up until the end of June and through clearing after this. UCAS will release the next set of data on applicants for 2011/12 on 31 January.
	
		
			  Applicants to full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS 2011/12 
			  Geographical area  Applicants to date 
			 Hastings and Rye constituency 289 
			 Hastings borough council 219 
			 East Sussex 2,258 
			 South East 45,478 
			 England 268,117 
			  Source: UCAS

Higher Education: Admissions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of 18 to 24 year-olds in each socio-economic group entered higher education in each year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The Full-Time Young Participation by Socio-Economic Class (FYPSEC) measure shows the proportion of young people (aged 18 to 20) from the top three and bottom four socio-economic classes (SEC) who participate for the first time in full-time higher education, together with the difference (or "gap") between these two participation rates.
	For the 2008/09 academic year only, due to a one-off change in the underlying data, the SEC information can only be reliably compared when limited to students aged 18 and under. Therefore, the figures provided in the table are for earlier years and are based on 18 to 20-year-old students.
	SEC information is recorded differently for young (aged under 21) and mature (aged 21 or over) students. Young students record their parent's SEC, while mature students record their own. Therefore to ensure comparability, FYPSEC is based only on young students. Figures for students aged 21 to 24 is not used in the FYPSEC measure.
	
		
			   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Participation rate for SECs 1-3 (percentage) 45.2 42.0 42.4 43.8 40.6 41.2 
			 Participation rate for SECs 4-7 (percentage) 18.1 18.3 18.0 20.3 19.5 21.0 
			 Gap (percentage point) 27.2 23.6 24.4 23.5 21.1 20.2 
			  Note:  Due to rounding to one decimal place, the change in gap may not correspond to the gaps shown for individual years.  Source: 'Full-Time Young Participation by Socio-Economic Class: 2009 update': http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/corporate/migratedd/publications/f/fypsec-paper-2009.pdf

Higher Education: Radicalism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the policy review relating to his Department's Learning Together to be Safe document will be completed; and what plans he has to publish the results of that review.

David Willetts: The Secretary of State for the Home Department announced in November 2010 a review of the overall Prevent strategy-the part of the counter-terrorism strategy that aims to stop people turning to or supporting violent extremism. As part of this review, the Home Office in conjunction with BIS are consulting widely on what additional and revised guidance and support colleges may need to help them manage the risk of violent extremism occurring on their campuses and how they can identify and support students who may be at risk of radicalisation. It is expected that this review will be completed within the next couple of months and will be followed by publication of a new Prevent strategy.
	Following publication of the new strategy we will be discussing with colleges and Ofsted what additional guidance will be produced and how it should be taken into account in inspections.

Higher Education: Radicalism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to replace the Learning Together to be Safe document withdrawn by Ofsted.

David Willetts: The 'Learning Together to be Safe' document has not been withdrawn. However, we have recommended to Ofsted that while the overall review of the Prevent strategy is taking place they do not inspect on it.
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department announced in November 2010 a review of the overall Prevent strategy-the part of the counter-terrorism strategy that aims to stop people turning to or supporting violent extremism. As part of this review, BIS in conjunction with the Home Office are consulting widely on what additional and revised guidance and support colleges may need to help them manage the risk of violent extremism occurring on their campuses and how they can identify and support students who may be at risk of radicalisation.
	It is expected that this review will be completed within the next couple of months and will be followed by publication of a new Prevent strategy.
	Following publication of the new strategy we will be discussing with colleges and Ofsted what additional guidance will be produced and how it should be inspected on.

Manufacturing Industries

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the main areas of  (a) strength and  (b) weakness of the manufacturing industry.

Mark Prisk: The Growth Review Framework for Advanced Manufacturing published by the Department in December 2010 was supported by an in-depth economic and statistical analysis of the UK manufacturing sector.
	This analysis shows that the UK has specialised in high technology industries such as aerospace, pharmaceuticals and medical instruments. These industries are characterised by high levels of innovation including R&D, knowledge, skills and investment in capital and intangible assets such as branding and design. OECD figures show that in 2008, around 65% of UK manufacturing exports were higher technology exports.
	The UK exports a relatively smaller percentage of low technology manufactured goods which tend to be more labour intensive. These include parts of textiles, metals, and rubber and plastic products where the UK is facing increasing international competition from low wage economies.

Medicine: Education

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to take steps to ensure that the student intake for medical degrees is representative of the composition of the UK population as a whole.

David Willetts: The Government are establishing a new framework, with increased responsibility on universities to widen participation; and greater investment in improving attainment and access for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Universities wanting to charge more than a £6,000 annual graduate contribution will have to demonstrate what more they will do to attract more students from disadvantaged backgrounds through outreach activities, targeted scholarships and other financial support. This will include a requirement to participate in the new £150 million National Scholarship Programme. This forms part of a package of measures to support disadvantaged young people through their education, including the introduction of the £2.5 billion pupil premium which will support them to achieve at school and turn that into success at university.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is working with the Gateways to the Professions Collaborative Forum to support and encourage actions by the professions themselves to remove the barriers to professional careers, such as Medicine, especially for people from disadvantaged groups.
	Responsibility for education and healthcare issues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including workforce planning, lies with the devolved Administrations. The planned number of medical school places in England was last increased by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), in collaboration with DH and DFES, in early 2006, to 6,194 places from autumn 2006 and there are currently no plans to change this number. The number of entrants to medical school is fairly stable, but numbers in individual institutions may vary from year to year. Universities are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own admissions policies and decisions.

Postgraduate Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of employers' requirements for postgraduate skills; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: A number of bodies including the UK Commission on Employment and Skills (UKCES), the Research Councils, the CBI and EngineeringUK, among others make regular assessments of employers' skills requirements, including their needs for postgraduate level skills.
	A comprehensive review of postgraduate provision in the UK was presented to Government by Professor Sir Adrian Smith in 2010. This included analyses of the links between postgraduate skills and business needs. We will respond to the findings of the review in the forthcoming White Paper.

Research: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many postgraduate researchers in each subject were funded by each higher education institution in each of the last 10 years; how many postgraduate researchers he expects to be funded by each higher education institution in the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 21 January 2011
	 The number of postgraduate research students enrolled on courses which were funded by institutions are shown by subject area in the tables. Figures are provided for the academic years 2002/03 to 2009/10. Due to a change in the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) subject coding frame in 2002/03 comparable subject data are not available for earlier years. Information on funding is based on the primary source of funding for the course, which is recorded on the HESA student record. This does not necessarily show the main source of finance as it excludes the tuition fee element. Information for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from HESA in January 2012. The Department does not plan for the number of postgraduate researchers at institution level.
	
		
			  Postgraduate research students( 1)  funded by their institution by subject area and institution( 2) . UK higher education institutions( 3) . Academic years 2002/03 to 2009/10 
			   2002/03 
			  Subject area  Leeds Trinity and All Saints  Robert Gordon University  Edinburgh Napier University  Brunel University  University of York  Scottish Agricultural College 
			 Medicine and dentistry 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 0 0 - 0 0 0 
			 Biological sciences 0 0 - 0 0 - 
			 Veterinary science 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 0 0 0 0 0 - 
			 Physical sciences 0 0 0 0 0 - 
			 Mathematical sciences 0 0 5 0 0 0 
			 Computer science 0 0 5 0 0 0 
			 Engineering and technology 0 0 20 - 0 0 
			 Architecture, building and planning 0 0 10 0 0 0 
			 Social studies - 0 - 0 - 0 
			 Law 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Business and administrative studies 0 0 25 0 0 - 
			 Mass communications and documentation - 0 - 0 0 0 
			 Languages 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Historical and philosophical studies 5 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Creative arts and design 0 0 5 0 0 0 
			 Education 0 - 0 0 0 0 
			 Combined 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 10 - 80 - - - 
		
	
	
		
			   2003/04  2004/05 
			  Subject area  Leeds Trinity and All Saints  Robert Gordon University  Edinburgh Napier University  Scottish Agricultural College  Leeds Trinity and All Saints  Edinburgh Napier University  Scottish Agricultural College  University of Buckingham 
			 Medicine and dentistry 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 0 0 10 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Biological sciences 0 0 35 - 0 25 - 5 
			 Veterinary science 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 0 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 
			 Physical sciences 0 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 
			 Mathematical sciences 0 0 5 0 0 - 0 0 
			 Computer science 0 0 45 0 0 30 0 5 
			 Engineering and technology 0 0 50 0 0 30 0 0 
			 Architecture, building and planning 0 0 45 0 0 25 0 0 
			 Social studies - 0 5 0 - 5 0 - 
			 Law 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 5 
			 Business and administrative studies 0 0 25 - 0 30 - 15 
			 Mass communications and documentation 0 0 - 0 - - 0 0 
			 Languages 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 
			 Historical and philosophical studies - 0 0 0 5 0 0 5 
			 Creative arts and design 0 0 15 0 0 15 0 - 
			 Education 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Combined 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 5 - 245 5 5 180 5 50 
		
	
	
		
			   2005/06  2006/07 
			  Subject area  Leeds Trinity and All Saints  Liverpool John Moores University  Edinburgh Napier University  University of Buckingham  Leeds Trinity and All Saints  University of Portsmouth  Edinburgh Napier University  University of Buckingham 
			 Medicine and dentistry 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 0 0 20 0 0 0 20 0 
			 Biological sciences 0 0 30 5 0 0 30 - 
			 Veterinary science 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Physical sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mathematical sciences 0 0 - 0 0 - - 0 
			 Computer science 0 0 30 5 0 0 25 10 
			 Engineering and technology 0 0 40 0 0 0 25 0 
			 Architecture, building and planning 0 0 25 0 0 0 20 0 
			 Social studies 0 0 - 5 0 0 0 - 
			 Law 0 0 - 5 0 0 - 5 
			 Business and administrative studies 0 0 45 15 0 0 35 10 
			 Mass communications and documentation 0 0 - 0 0 0 - 0 
			 Languages 0 0 0 5 - 0 0 - 
			 Historical and philosophical studies - 0 0 5 - 0 0 10 
			 Creative arts and design 0 0 10 - 0 - 10 - 
			 Education 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 - 
			 Combined 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total - - 205 55 - - 165 45 
		
	
	
		
			   2007/08  2008/09  2009/10 
			  Subject area  Edinburgh Napier University  University of Buckingham  London South Bank University  Edinburgh Napier University  University of Buckingham  London South Bank University  Edinburgh Napier University  University of Buckingham 
			 Medicine and dentistry 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 15 0 20 15 0 25 20 0 
			 Biological sciences 30 5 - 25 5 - 30 10 
			 Veterinary science 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Physical sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mathematical sciences - 0 - 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Computer science 20 15 - 20 15 5 25 30 
			 Engineering and technology 30 0 15 30 0 15 20 0 
			 Architecture, building and planning 10 0 - 25 0 0 35 0 
			 Social studies - 5 40 10 10 50 10 15 
			 Law - 5 0 5 10 0 - 10 
			 Business and administrative studies 25 15 25 40 20 30 60 15 
			 Mass communications and documentation - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Languages 0 - 0 0 - 0 0 10 
			 Historical and philosophical studies 0 10 0 0 10 0 0 25 
			 Creative arts and design 10 - 0 20 - 0 15 - 
			 Education 0 - 35 0 - 0 0 - 
			 Combined 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 155 65 145 190 80 135 210 115 
			 (1) Covers students of all ages and domiciles enrolled on full-time and part-time postgraduate research courses. (2) The tables include institutions which had postgraduate research students enrolled on courses which were funded by the institution. Those institutions which did not have postgraduate research students enrolled on courses which were funded by the institution are excluded from the tables. (3) Excludes the Open University due to incorrect coding of subjects across the time series.  Notes: 1. Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population. 2. Numbers less than five have been suppressed and are shown as '-', zero counts are shown as '0'. All other numbers in the table are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five. Due to the rounding strategy components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Runcorn

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the local economic effects of the closure of his Department's offices in Runcorn; if he will place in the Library the cost benefit review conducted by his Department on that closure; and what the cost to the public purse was of reviewing the implications of closing his Department's offices in Runcorn.

John Hayes: holding answer 24 January 2011
	The Permanent Secretary has commissioned a review of BIS presence on two sites, of which Castle View House in Runcorn is one: and Mowden Hall, Darlington the other. The review will consider business, personnel and financial aspects.
	The review is still in progress and no decisions on the future of either site have yet been taken, so it would be premature to go into further detail.
	All staff affected have been involved in the review process along with the trade unions, who have been consulted throughout.

Students: Loans

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the average level of graduate debt of those graduating in each of the  (a) last five years and  (b) next five years.

David Willetts: The average level of debt accumulated by borrowers who graduated (or otherwise left their course) in the last five years is shown as follows. Figures come from table 3(iii) of the Official Statistics: "Income Contingent repayments by repayment cohort and tax year 2000/01 to 2008/09 inclusive (provisional)" available on the Student Loans Company website at:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/pdf/SLCOSP032010.pdf
	
		
			  Graduation/withdrawal year  Debt (including repayments made and accrued interest) (£) 
			 2005 9,500 
			 2006 9,880 
			 2007 10,660 
			 2008 11,510 
			 2009 14,730 
		
	
	The average level of debt currently forecasted for graduates in the next five years is shown in the following table. Forecasts are estimates subject to changes as we learn more about how higher education institutions and students behave under the new system. From 2013 onwards these figures will include some students who will enter higher education under the proposed new fee system.
	
		
			  Graduation year  Debt (including accrued interest) (£) 
			 2010 17,000 
			 2011 17,500 
			 2012 19,000 
			 2013 20,000 
			 2014 21,500

Summertime

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects on businesses of moving clocks forward by one hour in England and Wales, but not in Scotland;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received from representatives of the Lighter Later campaign.

Edward Davey: The Government are aware of a range of arguments regarding the effect of moving the clocks forward by one hour on business and other areas of activity throughout the UK including representations from the 'Lighter Later' campaign. However, as the Prime Minister has made clear the Government could not support any change in this area unless there was consensus throughout the UK. The Government believe having two time zones in a relatively small country would prove detrimental to business and families alike.

Technology: China

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Chinese government on  (a) technology sharing agreements with and  (b) technology transfer to China.

Mark Prisk: There were discussions about high technology exports during the recent visit of Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang in January, during which a number of UK technologies were showcased. However our current understanding is that there are no bilateral technology sharing agreements either in place or under preparation with China.
	The UK Intellectual Property Office do have co-operation agreements in place on the subject of IP protection and enforcement.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking in respect of market development for unmanned aircraft systems in the UK; and what the role is of Scotland's aerospace and military assets including the Hebrides Range in such work.

Mark Prisk: This Department recognises the potential opportunities in the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) market and is working with business to assist in its efforts to develop capability in this area. This has included support through major research programmes called ASTRAEA I and ASTRAEA II. These are intended to enhance the UK's technology capability on UAS, in particular in sense and avoid technology.
	We are also working with the Civil Aviation Authority on the process to certify UAS to operate in unregulated airspace. This will help stimulate the development in the UK of technology for potential civil applications, such as agriculture, maintenance, geographical survey, coastguard. ASTRAEA II, currently underway, is being delivered through the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) with around £14 million of public support.
	This Department is aware that the Hebrides Range Task Force (HRTF) is exploring opportunities for the Hebrides Range to support the development of civil UAS technology. My officials have met the HRTF and provided advice on the potential to do this and are willing to help raise business awareness of the potential of the range. My officials also highlighted to the HRTF the opportunities to work with other UK ranges, eg. Parc Aberporth, to help develop an offering attractive to businesses willing to do work in this area.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Christmas Bonus: Expenditure

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of the £10 Christmas bonus for the latest year in which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Great Britain Christmas bonus expenditure is shown in the following table and can also be found at the following URL:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/alltables_budget2010.xls
	
		
			  Expenditure 2009-10 
			   Nominal terms  (£ million) 
			 Christmas bonus-contribution-based 121 
			 Christmas bonus non-contributory 32 
			  Note : Figures rounded to nearest £ million  Source: DWP Statistical and Accounting Data

Departmental Communication

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures he has undertaken to reduce jargon and promote plain English in departmental communications.

Chris Grayling: The Department puts customer needs at the heart of all its activity. To that end, we try to ensure that the content of all our communications does not contain jargon and meets plain English requirements. Some of the content can be complex due to the subject matter and, where this is the case, it is written as simply as possible.
	Our online information, available to customers on Directgov, is published by an accredited editor. The accreditation process includes demonstrating the ability to write content using plain English conventions. Feedback about the online information can be left by customers using a comment function, available throughout the Directgov site.
	DWP leaflets are produced by teams that have had plain English training. All new public information leaflets are tested, prior to their launch, with customers and receive accreditation by an external plain English supplier. Feedback on the leaflets is also encouraged and can be provided in a range of ways.
	The main benefit claim forms are produced by people that are trained specifically in the use of plain English and forms design. Additionally a proportion of our forms are independently accredited for plain English. Complex terms, where used, are explained in the form.
	The Department is in the process of improving the 130 to 140 million letters sent annually to customers. These are generated by our computer systems and research has shown that some of our customers find the content difficult to understand. We have recently improved approximately 20 million of these letters and customers should start receiving these in the first half of 2011. We will then review and rewrite the remaining letters.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010;
	(2)  what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Chris Grayling: Since 12 May 2010, three Secretary of State public appointments have been made. These are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Non-departmental public body  Name  Post  Remuneration 
			 The Pensions Regulator Michael O'Higgins (appointed 1 January 2011) Chairman £57,000 per annum for two days a week. Also, entitled to expenses which will be paid in accordance with The Pensions Regulator expenses policy and procedures. 
			 Health and Safety Executive Frances Outram (appointed 1 October 2010) Non-Executive Board Member £16,781 per annum. Board members are required to devote up to 30 days to the board of the Health and Safety Executive. Also, entitled to expenses which will be paid in accordance with Health and Safety expenses policy and procedures. 
			 Health and Safety Executive Paul Kenny (appointed 1 October 2010) Non-Executive Board Member £16,781 per annum. Board members are required to devote up to 30 days to the board of the Health and Safety Executive. Also, entitled to expenses which will be paid in accordance with Health and Safety expenses policy and procedures. 
		
	
	In addition, information on the gender of those serving on the boards of public bodies is published annually. Information for the 2010-11 period will be published in due course.

Industrial Health and Safety

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for implementation of the recommendations of Lord Young's review of health and safety law and practice; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Government have welcomed Lord Young's recommendations and Departments and agencies are taking forward implementation on the basis set out in annex M of his report "Common Sense, Common Safety".
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is taking forward recommendations within its remit and is on track with delivery to the timetable set by Lord Young.

Jobcentre Plus: Redundancy

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff posts were lost in Jobcentre Plus offices in  (a) West Lothian and  (b) Scotland in each month of 2010.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many staff posts have been lost in Jobcentre Plus offices in a) West Lothian; and b) Scotland in 2010. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The way changes in staffing levels can be identified on a monthly basis is by comparing the staffing position at the end of each month. The information in the Annex below show the staffing levels in full time equivalents for each month. This is up to September 2010 which represents the latest published data.
	Since January 2010, staffing levels across Jobcentre Plus have been on a reducing trend. This is due to a reduction in workloads in Jobcentre Plus; staff leaving through natural turnover; staff on fixed term appointments reaching the end of their contracts; and the impact of the wider recruitment freeze which applies across all Government departments.
	
		
			  Annex: West Lothian comprises Bathgate, Broxburn and Livingston Jobcentres and Bathgate Benefits Centre 
			  Month  Staffing  Change in staffing levels from previous month 
			 January 2010 409 - 
			 February 2010 397 -12 
			 March 2010 384 -13 
			 April 2010 384 (1)- 
			 May 2010 381 -3 
			 June 2010 373 -8 
			 July 2010 368 -5 
			 August 2010 363 -5 
			 September 2010 359 -4 
			 (1) No change. 
		
	
	
		
			  Scotland 
			  Month  Staffing  Change in staffing levels from previous month 
			 January 2010 9,407 - 
			 February 2010 9,307 -100 
			 March 2010 9,168 -139 
			 April 2010 9,168 (1)- 
			 May 2010 8,990 -178 
			 June 2010 8,888 -102 
			 July 2010 8,786 -102 
			 August 2010 8,665 -121 
			 September 2010 8,558 -107 
			 (1) No change.

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Calls

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the saving was to  (a) his Department and  (b) Jobcentre Plus from the use of non-geographical telephone numbers in the financial year (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10; and what estimate he has made of the likely saving for 2010-11.

Chris Grayling: From January 2008, there have been no revenue sharing numbers in use in the Department for Work and Pensions. Although some 08 numbers are still in use they do not attract any payback and have not done so since December 2007. As a result, there have been no savings from the use of non-geographical telephone numbers in the financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10, and there will be no savings in 2010-11.

New Enterprise Allowance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what timetable he has set for the roll-out of the new enterprise allowance to  (a) targeted areas and  (b) the rest of the UK;
	(2)  which elements of the new enterprise allowance will be introduced in Merseyside from January 2011;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of the extension of the new enterprise allowance scheme.

Chris Grayling: We plan to trailblaze the new enterprise allowance (NEA) in Merseyside from the end of January, before rolling it out into other target areas from April and then nationally from autumn this year.
	In Merseyside, we plan to introduce the business mentoring and low cost loan elements of the NEA. A weekly allowance will also be available.
	The cost of supporting up to 40,000 new businesses under the new enterprise allowance is estimated to be around £80 million. The costs of the NEA, including its expansion, will be met from with the spending review settlement.

Post Office Card Accounts

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in  (a) Reading West constituency and  (b) Berkshire who have Post Office card accounts.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested as data held relate to benefit accounts rather than people. Customers may be in receipt of more than one benefit, pension or allowance which could be paid into one Post Office card account.
	The number of benefit and pension accounts paid into a Post Office card account (POCA) in Reading West constituency and the other constituencies that fall within the county of Berkshire is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Berkshire constituencies  Number 
			 Bracknell 2,430 
			 Maidenhead 2,270 
			 Newbury 3,030 
			 Reading East 2,800 
			 Reading West 3,690 
			 Slough 4,370 
			 Windsor 2,390 
			 Wokingham 1,910 
			 Total 22,890 
			  Note:  Figures are rounded and relate to accounts live and in payment as at May 2010.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to paragraph 23 of his Department's White paper on Universal Credits: welfare that works, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the annual sum wrongly paid in benefits which was attributable to  (a) fraud and  (b) error; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of the amount so paid in error which is attributable to (i) claimant and (ii) official error in respect of benefits paid by (A) his Department, (B) local authorities and (C) HM Revenue and Customs.

Chris Grayling: The proportion of the annual sum wrongly paid in benefits attributed to fraud and error is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Amount and proportion of benefits and tax credits wrongly paid due to fraud and error 
			   £ billion  Percentage 
			  DWP benefits (2009/10)   
			 Fraud 1.0 31.0 
			 Customer error 1.1 69.0 
			 Official error 1.1 (1)- 
			
			  HMRC tax credits (2008-09)   
			 Fraud 1.65 78 
			 Error 0.46 22 
			
			  DWP benefits (2009-10) and HMRC tax credits (2008-09)   
			 Fraud - 50 
			 Error - 50 
			 (1) Indicates a brace 
		
	
	
		
			  Amount and proportion of benefits and tax credits  due to error by organisation 
			   £ billion  Percentage 
			  DWP (2009/10)   
			 Total error 1.44 - 
			 Customer error 0.59 41 
			 Official error 0.85 59 
			
			  Local authorities (housing benefit) (2009-10)   
			 Total error 0.76 - 
			 Customer error 0.51 67 
			 Official error 0.25 33 
			
			  HMRC (tax credits) (2008-09)   
			 Customer error 0.46 - 
			  Notes: 1. DWP and local authority figures are for 2009-10. 2. Tax credit figures are for 2008-09. 3. There is no administrative error available for tax credits. 4. The total of DWP fraud and error is actually £3.1 billion due to rounding.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he last met representatives of the General Medical Council to discuss medical assessments to determine the suitability of benefit payments.

Chris Grayling: Officials from the Health, Work and Wellbeing Directorate of the Department for Work and Pensions met with representatives of the General Medical Council to discuss issues relating to consent and confidentiality for claims to benefit on 9 December 2008.
	In addition, Ministers have had several meetings with Professor Malcolm Harrington, Professor Emeritus at the university of Birmingham and a highly respected occupational physician, who recently led a wide-ranging independent review of the WCA.

Unemployment: Reading West

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of children living in workless households in Reading West constituency in each year from 1997.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what estimate has been made of the number of children living in workless households in Reading West constituency in each year from 1997. (35848)
	Estimates of the number of children living in workless households are derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets. These are currently available for 2004 to 2009. However, the sample size for this survey is too small to provide reliable estimates for the Reading West constituency.

Universal Credit: Lone Parents

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effects on lone parents of the introduction of a universal credit.

Chris Grayling: We expect lone parents particularly to benefit from the improved incentive to enter work under universal credit as well as the greater simplicity of the system. Figure 12 of the White Paper "Universal Credit: Welfare That Works" provides an example of how lone parents will be better off in work at any hours choice rather than constrained to certain hours points (ie 16 hours) as is the case in the current system.
	We will be providing further analysis of the impact of universal credit, including the impact on lone parents, as part of the impact assessment which will accompany the forthcoming Welfare Reform Bill at the start of next month.

Vacancies

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance Jobcentre Plus provides to jobseekers who do not have an internet connection at home on how to access information on job vacancies.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about what guidance Jobcentre Plus provides to jobseekers who do not have an internet connection at home on how to access information on job vacancies. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We recognise the upward trend of employers using online applications as their preferred method of recruitment, so we know it is becoming increasingly important for our customers to be able to search for and apply for jobs online.
	In response and in recognition that not everyone has internet access at home, we have put in place measures to help people gain access to online vacancies through other means.
	This includes signposting people in England to the UK online free-phone telephone number 0800 771234 (or other similar services in Scotland and Wales) to find their nearest UK online centre; and signposting directly to known local sources of access such as the local library.
	Advisers will also highlight other means of access such as using smart phones to access the internet to look for jobs. We have developed a specific smart phone job search application available for I Phone and Google Android systems so customers with these handsets can have ready access to vacancies at the touch of a button.
	To help further raise the profile of our own online services, we are also committed to the "Race on Line" initiative, part of which has seen the deployment of a Digital Champion in every local Jobcentre Plus office. Their role is to promote digital take up and to find what support is available locally for customers to get online through partner organisations and share this information with colleagues to help and encourage customers to get online.
	Over and above helping people access vacancies online, we also signpost people to the Direct Gov job bank through Jobseeker Direct (our telephony based jobsearch and matching service) on 0845 606 0234 and Job Points in every Jobcentre Plus local office, both of which provide people with fast and easy access to thousands of jobs.
	I hope this reply is helpful and assures you of our intent to make sure jobseekers get the help they need to look and apply for jobs.

Welfare State: Reform

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanism he plans to put in place to measure the effects on vulnerable groups of the implementation of his proposals for welfare reform.

Chris Grayling: The Department will be drawing up plans for the evaluation of welfare reform measures and their impact on client groups. This will also include analysis of the delivery of the reforms and statistical data to look at their effect on meeting Government objectives.

Welfare to Work: Contracts

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) process and  (b) requirements are for becoming an accredited provider for the Welfare to Work programme; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: All of the prime providers who are awarded Work Programme contracts will be required to undertake the new Merlin accreditation process within 12 months of their contract start date. This will ensure that there are robust and healthy supply chains and that smaller providers are treated fairly in their dealings with prime providers.
	The accreditation process begins with a provider self-assessment against the published Merlin standard principles. This is followed by an independent expert evaluation including discussions with both the prime provider and a selection of their sub-contractors. Only those providers who demonstrate effective supply chain policies and practices will be awarded Merlin accreditation. The reports from each Merlin assessment will be publicly available via the Merlin web portal.

Winter Fuel Payments: Care Homes

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners living in care homes received winter fuel payments in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.

Remploy: Redundancy

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  on what date Ministers in his Department last met  (a) Remploy,  (b) trade unions and  (c) officials of his Department to discuss the announcement of voluntary redundancies at Remploy factories;
	(2)  what steps his Department took to examine alternatives to voluntary redundancies at Remploy factories.

Maria Miller: Regular discussions take place between Ministers, officials, Remploy management and other key stakeholders to discuss issues relating to the company.
	The offer of voluntary redundancies is a decision made by Remploy management to help the continuing operation of the businesses within that budget and to help ensure all employees have meaningful work.
	I am always happy to receive representations from Remploy staff, management and unions.